Flat Out versus four in Suburban Handicap

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Elmont, NY (Sports Network) - Flat Out will try to begin another Belmont Park winning streak with Saturday's $350,000 Suburban Handicap. The 7-year-old will face four challengers in the 1 1/8-mile stakes.

Trained by Bill Mott for Preston Stables, Flat Out had his four-race win streak at Belmont snapped when he finished third behind Sahara Sky on Memorial Day in the Met Mile.

For the Suburban, Flat Out will again be ridden by Junior Alvarado and start from post 4. A veteran of 24 races, Flat Out has banked $2,735,383 with seven victories.

The horse is best known as the winner of the last two editions of the Jockey Club Gold Cup and captured this year's Westchester Handicap at Belmont.

Breaking from the inside post will be Alpha with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle. The 4-year-old is owned by Godolphin Stable and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.

In 2012, Alpha won the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga and finished in a dead heat with Golden Ticket in the Travers. This year, the 4-year-old was 12th and fifth, respectively, in a pair of stakes in Dubai.

"His last race was OK," said McLaughlin. "Better. He looks great. He came back looking great. In the past we've had horses really mature from 3 to 4, whether we gave them time off or didn't give them time off. He's still maturing and looks great."

Alpha has won five of 13 career starts for $1.3 million.

Perfect in three starts this year, Last Gunfighter is working on a six-race win streak overall coming into the Suburban. Trained by Chad Brown, the 4- year-old colt, will start from post 3 and have Javier Castellano again riding.

Last Gunfighter, owned by John Gunther, has strung together four straight stakes wins, including the Pimlico Special last time out on May 17. He has won six of 10 career starts for $475,405.

Rounding out the field are the second- and third-place finishers from the Brooklyn Handicap, Percussion and Fast Falcon.

Here is the full field in post position order: Alpha, Irad Ortiz Jr.; Percussion, John Velazquez; Last Gunfighter, Javier Castellano; Flat Out, Junior Alvarado and Fast Falcon, Cornelia Velasquez.

The Suburban Handicap has an approximate post-time of 4:45 p.m. ET.