The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Alalcance ($3.20) has toyed with her rivals in the Group 3 N E Manion Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday afternoon, making every post a winner to claim back-to-back victories to kick-off her autumn campaign.
The Irish import has been a model of consistency since her arrival in Australia, with the daughter of Mastercraftsman posting two wins and two minor placings leading into Saturday.
Her trend of dominance continued as Tim Clark took luck out of the equation from the jump, sending the short-priced favourite with horse racing bookmakers to the top from barrier four.
She had an uncontested lead but still ticked over some moderate sectionals in the middle stages, while the second elect with Neds, Birdman ($4.20), slid across into the one-one under Zac Lloyd.
He was one of the first to challenge as they turned for home but quickly faded in the concluding stages, while Athabascan () was hard ridden a long way out despite making some inroads reaching the furlong pole.
Strathtay ($18) and Cleveland ($26) were making up some ground late; however, they were simply no match for Alalcance, who stamped herself as a leading contender for the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m).
Adrian Bott was on course to speak about their talented mare post-race.
“She’s incredibly brave,” said Bott.
“She’s tough and she can stay all day. That’s her asset. So we haven’t sort of really got her to her best trips yet.
“We’ve got her set for the Sydney Cup, so looking forward to testing her over that two miles because once she gets into that rhythm, you know, she’s a bit tardy away today out of the gates, which I was a little concerned with, but I think Tim sort of backed her ability.
“He was aggressive through those early stages to really pick up and take control so that he could run the style of race that he wanted to, and that’s where she’s happy. She just keeps bowling along and keeps picking up.
Tim Clark then spoke to her staying credentials moving towards a Sydney Cup.
“Yeah, she’s got such good staying ability,” said Clark.
“She’s got unlimited stamina and takes a little bit of time to get into gear early, but when she’s there, she just flips on the cruise control and away you go.
“There’s a bit of a debate about whether or not the blinkers stay on or off, but maybe getting out a bit further, two miles, she probably does need to rest a little bit more. But she’s progressing well and she’s a beautiful mare to do anything with.
“I think she might need a penalty in the Sydney Cup to get my weight, or I might have to start dieting, one of the two.”
Alalcance is now the clear $5 favourite with Picklebet in the 2025 Sydney Cup on April 12.
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