Previously a five-time placegetter at Group stage, stylish mare Our Alley Cat broke via and secured her first stakes win in fashion in Saturday’s Gr.3 Valley D’Vine Restaurant Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings.
The seven-year-old daughter of Atlante went into the $120,000 function because the winner of six of her 29 begins, however she had additionally been runner-up behind Levante and Imperatriz in two editions of the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), second to Showoroses within the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), third behind Belclare and Skew Wiff within the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), and third to Babylon Berlin and Packing Rockstar within the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1400m).
Saturday was lastly her day within the solar. Our Alley Cat was awkwardly drawn in gate 9, however she was given a dream run by red-hot jockey Opie Bosson, who rode 4 of the primary six winners on the Hastings card.
Our Alley Cat trailed a sizzling tempo set by Not Guilty, then moved up alongside that rival on the prime of the home straight. She took command on the 200m mark and drew clear with ease, opening up a successful margin of two and three-quarter lengths.
Not Guilty held on bravely for second, simply forward of Mercurial, El Vencedor and overwhelmed favorite Romancing The Moon. The time for the 1400m function was a slick 1:21.95.
Saturday’s black-type breakthrough was an enormously satisfying reward for Our Alley Cat’s coach and part-owner Vicki Prendergast, whose secure star has now banked $307,935 in stakes.
“She’s such a special horse to us,” mentioned the Matamata coach, who was credited with the primary black-type success of her profession.
“We practically retired her after final season, however I assumed, ‘Come on – we’ve actually obtained to win a Listed race or one thing along with her.’ She actually deserved to win one. She’s been such a great horse.
“She’s run second behind Levante and Imperatriz in huge races, and she or he actually deserved to win one. Finally she’s carried out it.
“The pace was really on today, and it probably wasn’t ideal with the draw that we had, but we had the jockey, didn’t we?”
Our Alley Cat turned the fifth individual stakes winner for former Mapperley Stud stallion Atlante. Her dam, the Scaredee Cat mare Cat Woman, gained 5 races and placed within the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m). – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
