NO ‘SHOW’: This horse named A Rod, finishing out of the money yesterday at Belmont, is about as good a bet as former Yankee starter Alex Rodriguez. (
)
At least this “A-Rod” doesn’t flirt with the fillies when he’s losing.
A 4-year-old gelding racehorse who shares a nickname with performance-challenged Yankee Alex Rodriguez finished seventh in an eight-horse field at Belmont Park yesterday.
In his first start since Feb. 18, the four-legged A Rod — sired by Grand Slam and bred in New York — trailed by 10 1/4 lengths behind winning horse Orsonian in the sixth race yesterday.
“A Rod is slumbering at the back of the pack,” track announcer Tom Durkin called at the start.
The horse’ s odds were 28-to-1 in the six-furlong (three-quarter-mile) race.
A Rod’s career now stands at two wins in 18 races. He has earned $58,422 — including $267 for yesterday’s lackluster showing. “He started slow and stayed slow,” said his jockey, Mike Luzzi, a longtime Yankees fan.
The two-legged A-Rod, once one of the most formidable hitters in baseball, is hitting a horrid 3-for-23 in the playoffs this season.
Over the past two post-seasons, he’s managed to rack up just five hits. And last week, after getting sent to the bench during a playoff game, he was more focused on the postgame than the final innings.
The frisky former superstar was spotted hitting up a couple of Australian hotties sitting behind the dugout for their phone numbers.
One trainer at Belmont yesterday had plenty to say about the ballplayer.
“He’s a horror show,” the trainer said. “The guy’s a bum.”
Additional reporting by Ed Fountaine