Fresh from Major Beel’s win in the Australian Derby, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will unveil $10 million mare Alcohol Free in the Queen Of The Turf at Randwick on Saturday.
Yulong Investments bought the four-time group 1-winning daughter of No Nay Never at the Tattersalls Mare Sale in December and she went straight into quarantine under the care of the Tulloch Lodge team.
Alcohol Free wins the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2021. Credit:Getty
The dream is to see her run in the Yulong slot for The Everest as she is a July Cup winner at six furlongs last year, but Bott believes a 1600m group 1 at Randwick is the perfect place for her given the preparation she has had since December.
“She has had a good grounding on those uphill gallops over there and this race seemed the best fit for her in the autumn,” Bott said. “The other option was the TJ Smith where she might have been run off her feet against our sprinters.
“She has won a barrier trial and if you at her form over a mile in England it’s pretty good.”
As a three-year-old, Alcohol Free won the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on a heavy track before taking out the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, both over the mile around a bend.
“She likes soft going and we should get a track with a bit of give in it on Saturday. She has got a lot of class,” Bott said.
“It will probably be only the one start then a break before the spring, where we can test how sharp she is going to be.
“The Everest is certainly still in our thinking, but we just had to choose the best option for her to start off in.”
Purton lobbies for Lucky Sweynesse to come to The Everest
Zac Purton took his group 1 count to three for the Sydney autumn lifting Mr Brightside to Doncaster victory on Saturday, and he has his eyes on Australian racing’s biggest prize with Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Sweynesse.
Purton is keen to continue coming back to Australia from his Asian base, but will not return this autumn because he couldn’t find a good enough ride on Queen Elizabeth Stakes day while Hong Kong is racing the following Saturday.
Zac Purton is keen to ride Lucky Sweynesse in The Everest.Credit:Getty
The champion jockey has the Melbourne Cup at the top of his list of races to win, but The Everest with Hong Kong’s Lucky Sweynesse is a possibility.
The Star sprinter has won the Centenary Sprint Cup and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup at his past two starts and will contest the Sprint Cup next weekend in preparation for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, where he will run for a $HK5 million bonus ($950,000).
Purton would love to bring the Hong Kong sprinter to Randwick in October and is lobbying his owners to choose Sydney over Royal Ascot and Japan.
“The Everest has become a race of its own now. I would love to come back and win it,” Purton said. “I think he could be the right horse.
“I’m trying to convince the connections to come [down] under for The Everest. They are not really sure what they want to do; they have mentioned Royal Ascot and Japan.
“We would have to find a slot but a horse of his quality should definitely interest slotholders and offers the race something incredibly special.”
Arapaho to be better the second time at two miles
Bjorn Baker might be more confident heading into the Sydney Cup with Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho than he was for the weight-for-age group 1 at Rosehill last month.
The former French galloper, which won the Canberra Cup, even shocked his trainer in the Tancred by being the strongest stayer and drops from 59kg to 53kg.
“He beat them the other day at weight-for-age and drops in weight to 53kg, it’s the last time he will never have this sort of weight in a handicap,” Baker said. “It is his second try at two miles after running 11th in the Melbourne Cup, and stayers are usually better at their second try at it.
“I think he is just getting better with every preparation and if we get a soft track again, he will be hard to hold out.”
Sargent looks for another Oaks
John Sargent is the master trainer of fillies and believes he might have another Oaks winner in Mountain Guest despite the daughter of Tarzino still being a maiden. Mountain Guest ran her fourth placing in six starts as she stuck on to be runner-up to Arts in the Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
“We will be there next week in the Oaks when she finally gets out to the trip where she will be at her best,” Sargent said. “She is a nice staying filly and you saw how tough she was in the Adrian Knox, she was the only one of the leaders in the placings.”
Sargent will also have Byron Belle and So Dazzling in the Australian Oaks.
