LAUREL, MD. 12-29-12---Larry Knight Jr.’s Alpha Mike Foxtrot appeared to be a certain loser as the field raced down the backstretch in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship, but around the turn and going to the finish line it was another story as he rallied over the sloppy track to win going away.

Forest Boyce was riding the son of Two Punch and was forced to check her mount four times to keep the gelding from running up on horses. When she finally let Alpha Mike Foxtrot fall back off the leaders and steered him to the outside, the Richard Small trainee was able to set his sights on frontrunners Awesome Devine and Lunar Rock and shift into high gear.

Boyce and her mount were four-wide racing down the stretch but closed fastest of all and won by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:34.51. Handy Doodle finished second and Peeds in a Pod was third.

“The whole way down the backside he was getting out pretty bad,” said Boyce. “I just tried to keep him on all fours. He is lovely to ride, you always know you are going to be right there. He runs hard and if he gets there, he gets there.”

The win was the 100^th of the year for the 28-year-old rider.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot paid $21.40. His previous best stakes finishes were a second in the Maryland Million Nursery and a third in the James Lewis, both at Laurel Park.

“He is just like his mother (Shashobegon),” Small said.  “He isn’t really talented but is gritty and as honest as they come.”

Small won two previous Maryland Juvenile Championships, with Legal Control (2004) and Roaring Lion (2006) respectively.

This was the first stakes win for owner Knight, who is married to former jockey Andrea Seefeldt.

About Laurel Park

Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.