Pearl Of Alsace came desperately close to a fairytale finish to her racing career, with the Group One performer retiring off the back of a second placing in Saturday’s Group 3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m).
A serious talent from day one, the daughter of Tavistock rose rapidly through the grades in her first racing preparation for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, winning her first five appearances, culminating in the 2023 edition of the Cuddle Stakes. Stepping up to elite level in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), she lost no admirers, finishing a luckless fourth.
Bred and owned by Sir Peter Vela of Pencarrow Stud, Pearl Of Alsace secured her all-important Group One placing in the Livamol Classic (2050m) and performed admirably in her only start in Australia, finishing fourth to Deny Knowledge in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m).
Her final season on the track produced a placing in the Group 2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m) and a booming effort to only just fall short to Our Jumala at Trentham on Saturday, indicative of her consistency at the highest level.
From just 21 starts, she bows out with seven wins, four minor placings and just shy of $400,000 in stakes.
“She couldn’t have run any better on Saturday; she just came up short by a nose, but sectionally, she was outstanding,” Vela’s racing manager Garry Cossey said. “She’s going out on a good note.
“She’s certainly done Pencarrow proud, and she’s been a great mare—Group One placed and a Cuddle Stakes winner. She also ran fourth in a Group Two in Melbourne, so she’s done a fantastic job in the time that she has been racing.
“Sir Peter got an offer on her before she even raced, but we asked Shaune if he thought she could get black-type, and he believed she most certainly could. She won first up at Taranaki and then went bang-bang-bang; that first season was great, culminating in the Cuddle and an unlucky fourth in the Breeders’ Stakes.”
Out of Group Two-performing mare Irion, Pearl Of Alsace has the pedigree to match her ability, setting her in good stead for her next chapter in the broodmare paddock.
“She was always a nice filly and a good, genuine horse; we were always hopeful of her reaching Group class, which is what she did,” Vela said.
“We’re very proud of her; she’s done really well, and she’ll be a beautiful broodmare. We thought she looked as good as a horse could look on Saturday, and the time is right for her to go and think about other things.
“We tried with Proisir last season, but she’ll go back into the bundle now, and we’ll go through all of the stallions that are available to her. We will see which one we feel will make the best mate and keep our fingers crossed.”
Pearl Of Alsace will join Irion in Pencarrow’s broodmare band, with the dam visiting Cambridge Stud’s shuttle stallion Chaldean in her most recent mating.
“He has a beautiful pedigree and was a lovely racehorse, we’re very lucky to have him in New Zealand,” Vela said.
“To have a horse of that quality and that pedigree, it was a gift.”
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