Alpinista Charges Clear in Yorkshire Oaks
There is more than one way to skinned group 1. The horses of the decade are all very good but there is a lot to be said for a race that is a really, well, race.
The day after the York cognoscenti team burst into polite applause at the sight of Baaeed flying home in an extremely one-way Juddmonte International (G1) airport, on August 17, packed stands were seen as a true thrill in the second high-profile event of the week.
They must have seen heart and class combined in an incredible half ton of mares like Alpinista simply will not be denied a first win by the British Group 1.
Sent on two of Luke Morris’ hairpins in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1), Kirsten Rausing’s mare continues to find extra pressure and always does enough to hold off winner Cazoo Oaks (G1) Tuesday by length.
And while Baaeed’s success was followed by indecisiveness in execution plans, there was no doubt where this winner would go: Alpinista, who beat the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) then. Torquator Tasso in Germany last year, will go on to compete with him on the first Sunday of October in Paris — where she’s the best 8-1 to finish group 1 by six hours.
Sir Mark Prescott and Alpinista after the Yorkshire bison
“The arc is always the goal,” coach Sir Mark Prescott said of the five-year-old, who was slow to start the season and returned from an eight-month break to win Saint-Cloud in July . .
“The original intention was to win the Cup (G1) and then King George (G1), but then it became Saint-Cloud and this or the Prix Vermeille (G1). Miss Rausing wanted to come here because Alpinista didn’t. win a group 1 in the UK.
“She’s not going to Vermeille, I think she’s going straight to the Arc. She’s just good enough to go close. You’ve got your chance, so you’ve got to go. This is as good as Saint-Cloud, will it be? Whether it’s good enough for Paris is another matter.”
Alpinista’s record is one of near-constant progress, and Prescott said: “She’s been improving in every race and I think her success is down to her being outspoken, she’s more or less on the top. any background, you can keep her up and running.It’s like everyone, if they’re very straightforward the great thing is you can do it.
“I’ve got three very good people for Miss Rausing in this distance, all related to each other, Albanova, Alborada and her. How lucky you can get three fillings like that? And the family is doing well — you won’t get fat because of the mistakes Miss Rausing made!”
Alpinista will be the first “serious” Arc contender for Prescott, who finished 10th in Diplomacy in 2001 but admitted: “We added him for a pleasure.
“He won the Magnet Cup and finished second at Ebor, they played all the money and we had a great time. Sakhee beat us pretty convincingly.”
Morris, who has twice won the Prix de l’Abbaye (G1) on the support card, is looking forward to his first crack at the Arc.
“We could dream of Paris right now,” said the jogger. “This year looks to be an open race and she will go on all fronts.”
Morris has been defeated just once in nine rides on the Alpinista and has never felt defeat in the cards here.
“I could feel Tuesday coming and I felt that when Alpinista sensed she was coming, she dug deep,” he said. “She is very tough and honest. Since she has a better record this year, she looks like a dirty kid with more class.
“I think today’s race had a lot of depth and she had to drop 9 pounds for second; it was a great performance. She’s a superstar – I’m honored to ride her. “
With Aplinista’s Yorkshire Oaks win, she also automatically secured a spot in the Mark Breeders’ $2 million Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) Producers Cup this fall at Keeneland via Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re in the Challenge Series.
Alpinista wins Yorkshire Oaks