Classy mare Pearl Of Alsace will have an opportunity to get back in the winning groove at New Plymouth on Saturday, tackling the Gr.3 Denis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m).
Earlier in her career, Pearl Of Alsace was near-unstoppable winning six of her first nine starts, including the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m), and a Group One placing in the Livamol Classic (2050m).
The daughter of Tavistock had just 13 appearances on the board entering her six-year-old term, where aside from a narrow second in the Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m), she hasn’t been in her typical firing form, albeit competing consistently at the top level including a close-up finish in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m).
Shaune Ritchie, who trains Pearl Of Alsace in partnership with Colm Murray, believes his mare will benefit from a number of factors in Saturday’s contest.
“Her form on paper doesn’t read that well, but she’s been racing in the elite company at Group One level and this is a significant drop back,” he said. “I think the set weights and penalties really suits her.
“She started off her career as a fantastic mare who didn’t know how to how to lose, but this prep, she’s probably been about 10 percent below her best, which is enough to be punished at that Group One level. I think the drop back to Group Three, stepping up to 1800m and getting weight off horses that she is certainly as good as will be an advantage.
“If they are getting that little bit of rain that is forecast, that will only aid her chances even more.
“From gate four, she’s going to be extremely hard to beat, but we just want to get her back winning again. I’m pretty sure that when she does, she’ll get her confidence back.”
Pearl Of Alsace had initially scanned in foal earlier this season, but then came back negative on the second scan, meaning the stable is able to race her until she heads to the broodmare paddock at the end of the season.
“She’ll be off to the broodmare paddock next year, but fortunately for us, it leaves a few more doors open for Sir Peter (Vela, owner) and the stable to gain some more black-type with her, such as on Saturday,” Ritchie said.
Joining Pearl Of Alsace on the journey south will be Eye Candy, a three-year-old filly contesting a competitive Listed Grangewilliam Stud Oaks Prelude (1800m).
Eye Candy collected her maiden comfortably at Ruakaka in December, but had little favours when finishing back in the field in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) last start.
“She didn’t have a lot of luck in the race, she was trailing the leader and tried to poke out through the inside, where the leader lay around a little bit,” Ritchie said. “It was a bit of an inconclusive run.
“This is a hot Oaks Prelude field, probably the strongest this Taranaki race has come up in some time, it sits really well in the calendar. It’ll give us a good guide as to whether we press on to an Oaks (Gr.1, 2400m) prep or not, she’s indicated that we think she’ll get over ground, but she’s got to prove that to us and the 1800m is that niche area for her.
“We need to see if we’re worthy of pressing on, which this race will tell us.”
Closer to their Cambridge base, Ritchie and Murray will be represented in the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie by debutant Tajana.
While Ritchie acknowledged the stiff challenge presented by hot-favourite Return To Conquer, he sees the race as a chance for his filly, owned by The Oaks Stud, to gain some valuable early stakes credentials.
“The favourite looks clearly the best horse in the race and probably only bad luck will beat him,” he said.
“Normally, neither myself or Rick (Williams, The Oaks Stud General Manager) would run a horse in a Group Three at their first start, it’s usually a recipe for disaster. But this filly has shown us a tonne of talent, her trial was extremely impressive coming from last at Matamata and showing some serious determination to get home and win.
“I’m not suggesting she can beat the favourite, but it’s very inviting if she even runs second or third to gain that Group Three placing. We would be delighted with that because obviously that’s black-type for the family which The Oaks Stud have retained.”
Ritchie has had a busy week at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales in search of their next string of talent, and after purchasing six yearlings across Book 1 and 2, he is rapt with their purchases.
“We’re known to be staying trainers and we want to move that tag a little bit by finding something that can run a little bit earlier,” he said.
“We were very keen on the Super Seth filly (lot 655), we think she’s a beautiful mover. The St Mark’s Basilica (lot 269) is our Guineas-Derby colt, he’s clearly the classiest horse we’ve bought, but both the Savabeel and the Super Seth filly, who is out of a Savabeel mare, are going to have residual value and I think we shopped well with all of them.
“We’re extremely happy with how little we paid for the quality of horse we got, and with the stake money, I think these horses will be even harder to buy next year, because of the further confidence from Entain making it viable for us to go and spend some money, and knowing we can win it back, which is here to stay for at least the next three years.”
An active buyer at several international sales, Ritchie commended the Karaka atmosphere and how it reflects across the remainder of the industry.
“I’ve been to Tattersalls, Inglis, and Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, and there is no better complex for inspecting horses than Karaka,” he said. “Seeing the horses walking and the arena itself, the entire thing is second to none.
“Having Karaka, then Ellerslie as a world-class racetrack, and the stakes from Entain, all three of those things have really pushed us into international waters, particularly shown by World Pool coming on board for our feature races.
“We are able to buy yearlings confidently and promote them properly. It all starts at Karaka, and without Peter and Philip Vela creating this complex in the first place, it wouldn’t be possible.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
