Rightfully So Debuts On Alabama Undercard

Seven years after his dam, Society Selection, won the Grade 1 Alabama, Rightfully So will make his debut in Saturday’s sixth race, part of the TVG Alabama undercard.

Rightfully So, a 2-year-old ridgling, is trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens for Irving I. Cowan, the connections behind Society Selection. The mare won her debut at Saratoga as a 2-year-old before returning the following year to win the 2004 Grade 1 Test at seven furlongs and upset Stellar Jayne and Ashado in the 1 ¼-mile Alabama .

“She was way out of it [in the Alabama ],” Jerkens recalled. “It was muddy that day. I think it was [also] muddy for the Test. It rained like hell just before the Test. She came wide turning for home and blew by everybody. She wasn’t supposed to be a sprinter.”

Rightfully So, by 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, has impressed Jerkens in the morning, but the trainer realizes the juvenile may perform differently under race conditions.

“All the work in the morning doesn’t mean anything,” said Jerkens. “You gotta do it in the afternoon. I hope he’ll be good. He’s bred to be good, works like he’s good, but now he has to prove it.”