After being beaten as an odds-on favourite in the Expressway Stakes at Randwick last start, Alizee was back on her pedestal after finishing strongly along the rail to capture Saturday’s Group II Apollo Stakes at Randwick.
Ridden by Hugh Bowman, the strapping daughter of Sepoy defeated the stubborn Dreamforce by a short-neck with a further one and a quarter lengths back Happy Clapper who hit the line strongly in third.
"She is a lot more settled now and she showed that first up, so I wasn't afraid to let her be where she was comfortable," Bowman told AAP.
"She gave me the confidence to ride her where she was happy and from barrier one that put her in the gun spot.
"I think the two best horses at that trip fought it out."
Winning trainer James Cummings said he did not make a final decision on Alizee taking her place in the field until the morning of the race.
"We were really 50-50 on whether we wanted to run on a soft seven. We deliberated over it very carefully," Cummings said.
"I pestered (track manager) Nevesh Ramdhani all week, I even rang the jockey who did the race day gallop this morning, Sam Clipperton, and he gave me a blow-by-blow account.
"She has come back and delivered against some very strong weight-for-age horses."
The three-time Group 1 winner has plenty of options as she is in the running for the All-Star Mile in Melbourne while the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) on February 29 and Canterbury Stakes (1300m) a week later, are both under consideration.
With her ninth stakes win, Alizee advances her record to 10 wins, 3 seconds and 3 thirds from 26 starts with earnings of $3,140,550.
A homebred for Godolphin, the 5yo daughter of Sepoy is a half-sister to the Group 1 ATC Golden Rose Stakes hero and young Darley stallion Astern (Medaglia D'Oro) and the stakes-placed Mogador (Lonhro) and Tassort (Brazen Beau) who finished second to Time To Reign in the Group II Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill.
Their dam Essaouira showed ability in a career restricted to just two starts. She won on debut at Moonee Valley before finishing unplaced in a Listed race at Caulfield.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel is the first foal of the Group II Magic Night Stakes winner Alizes who was sent to America by Darley Stud before being repatriated in 2015.
By the speed influence Rory's Jester, Alizes is a daughter of the Group 1 Galaxy Stakes heroine La Baraka (Euclase) herself out of the 5-time Group 1 winner Triscay.
Essaouira has a 2yo filly named Tangier and a yearling colt, both by Medaglia d'Oro (USA) and foaled a full-sister to Alizee last spring.
She was covered by I Am Invincible last year.
