by Matt Markham
He’s done nothing different and seen nothing new in her work, but the way Sans Le Sou has approached her racing over the past 10 days has Ricky Alfeld wondering if she’s a little like fine wine, and getting better with age.
After 11 months away from the winners’ circle the daughter of Mach Three broke through at Ashburton last week and she backed up at Rangiora on Sunday and made it two wins in the space of seven days with a come-from-last effort for Katie Cox in the Junior Drivers’ event.
Alfeld wasn’t surprised by the form turn-around, he’s always fancied the six-year-old mare as capable enough but what is probably perplexing him a little is where it’s all come form.
“She’s shown nothing out of the normal at home, she’s just been her usual self,” he said.
“And we have certainly done nothing different with her either.”
She was, for quite some time, the perennial placegetter. The horse who was always making a driving run through the middle of the pack late to finish just outside the top three, or just inside it.
Alfeld wasn’t worried about that. Good bread and butter horses like her are hard to find.
“It’s just the way we had to drive her,” he said.
“She’s got a 200 metre sprint that she can hold so you always have to drive her for a little luck.”
Colin DeFilippi did the driving at Ashburton and expect him to be back in the sulky when she next lines up too, as Alfeld wants to do everything he can to help his good mate achieve a major milestone.
“Col is only a couple of wins away from 2,000 driving wins so he can drive her any time he wants.
“I can’t believe that a guy like him is struggling to get drives, he’s lucky at the moment if he’s getting one a meeting.”
Alfeld intends on continuing to race the mare through the winter months.
She is the only horse he currently has in work, although there are some well-bred family members waiting in the wings.
Sans Le Sou is the second foal of the handy mare Arma Xcellent who Alfeld trained to win two races.
Since Sans Le Sou there have been three Bettor’s Delight foals, all fillies, a Mach Three full-sister to Sans Le Sou and she is in foal to Art Major.
“There’s a couple there to do a bit with at some point.”
Alfeld races Sans Le Sou with his wife Janine and son Brandy and she herself will have strong credentials when her time comes to head to the broodmare paddock.
She’s now won six times in her 63 start career and placed on 21 occasions for more than $53,000 in stakes. Three of those six wins and $21,000 of those earnings have come this season alone.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
