Grade I winners Divisidero (Kitten's Joy) and Lukes Alley (Flower Alley) make their seasonal debuts Saturday in Gulfstream Park's GII Ft. Lauderdale S. The former, who will be making just his 10th lifetime start now at age five, kicked off last year's campaign here with a third-place run behind pace-controlling Heart to Heart (English Channel) in February's GIII Canadian Turf S. He went one better in the GIII Appleton S. in April, and broke through at the highest level with a neck success over eventual GI United Nations S. hero World Approval (Northern Afleet) in Churchill's GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. May 7. Fifth behind Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in Belmont's GI Manhattan S. June 11, he was subsequently forced to the sidelines and hasn't been heard from since. “He never was lame,” noted trainer Buff Bradley. “We did some bone scans on him and he had a little bone bruising enough where I said to the owners, 'If we give him some time, he'll be better.' We knew it was something he'd come back 100% from.” Divisidero has been working regularly at Gulfstream since the beginning of December, and Bradley expects him to give a good account of himself. “He moved forward pretty quickly in getting ready. He had a pretty good bottom to him when I got him. Each week he's progressed well. I'm really happy the way he's come along,” Bradley said. “I think after his last work, he was telling me he was ready. [Jockey] Edgar [Prado] commented after his last two works that he was really strong and felt great. He's coming into the race fresh, and we feel he's going to run a big race. He's more mature both mentally and physically.”
Luke's Alley was runner-up in this event last year to Heart to Heart before annexing the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. at 5-1. The Josie Carroll-trained Eugene Melnyk homebred was fifth last out in the Nov. 6 GII Autumn S. over Woodbine Tapeta.
The in-form Heart to Heart is very tough to reel in when given any kind of comfortable lead. With a rail draw, there's no secret as to where he'll be early. The 6-year-old near millionaire is a perfect three-for-three at both this venue and at this distance, and most recently held off Flatlined (Flatter) in the Dec. 17 El Prado S.
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