Smart three-year-old filly Alessa proved much too tough for her rivals with a slashing victory in the Morley Park Princess of the Wimmera at the Horsham Racing Centre yesterday afternoon.
The beautifully bred daughter of Art Major USA sat outside the leader Jilliby Jitterbug (Jason Lee) for the majority of the 2200-metre race and cleared away from the pack over the final stages to score by 17 metres in the ultra slick mile rate of 1:56.8, just 0.3 seconds outside Spokeswoman’s Horsham track record.
Trainer/driver Michael Stanley dictated the tempo of the contest, particularly over the final 1609 metres, when posting four solid quarters of 29.7, 30.6, 27.4, and 28.3 seconds.
It was a case of third time lucky in the Princess of the Wimmera for owner Harvey Delmenico, who bred Alessa from his former talented racemare, No More Trouble (16 wins $133k) which was beaten a half-neck by Deanna Troy in the 2007 edition of the feature event.
No More Trouble, by Troublemaker USA, is a half-sister to Mendelico (17 wins, $188k) which finished in third place for Delmenico, behind Ay Tee Em and Queen Of Fire in the 2009 Princess.
Mendelico is the dam of the classy colt Heaven Rocks, winner of 5 races from 8 starts, including the Group 1 $150,000 Woodlands Emerald at Waikato in June this year.
Local hope Bou Chard came from the rear of the field to pick up second money for trainer Rod Carberry and owner Robbie Connelly with the Great Western filly Plain Baby a further 5 metres away in third place, for the Peter & Kerryn Manning combo.
Both the result and the tempo of The Alabar Horsham Guineas were in complete contrast to The Morley Park Princess with former Kiwi pacer Stuover (Greg Sugars) staving off a late lunge on the line from Truth And Courage (Jason Lee) to get the judge’s nod in atight finish.
Sugars had taken Stuover straight to the lead with two laps to travel and those who’d taken the $1.40 on offer would have been counting their winnings early, when the gelded son of Changeover NZ dawdled through a middle half in a pedestrian like, 62.9 seconds.
The race developed into just a final quick dash up the home straight with Stuover lasting to beat a very brave Truth And Courage in a final split of 27.3 and a mile rate of 1:59.4 for the 2200 metre trip.
Stuover was having his fourth start since crossing the ditch to join the Dean Braun stables at Lara.
After consecutive victories at Cranbourne the bay finished a close-up second to Spiritwriter in the recent $20k VHRSC The Graduate at Meton and should go to bigger and better things for owner Tony Coniglio.
Franco Jameson battled on soundly 5.5 metres away in third place for trainer Adam Kelly and driver Michael Bellman.
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