Alsephina ready to bloom in the Empire Rose
Grant and Alana Williams are no strangers to success on the eastern seaboard, but victory for Alsephina (Star Turn) in Saturday’s Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) would mark their first Victorian Group 1 since their association with long-time stable supporter Bob Peters came to an end.
Peters’ distinctive cerise and white colours have been a familiar sight on Victorian racetracks in recent seasons, most notably when they were carried to victory by his mighty mare Arcadia Queen (Pierro) in both the Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) and the Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) in the spring of 2020.
Even her most ardent admirers would have to concede that Alsephina is not quite in Arcadia Queen’s class, but she does have legitimate claims to be one of the country’s most consistent horses. From her 18 starts to date, she has won on ten occasions – her trio of stakes victories include the Stocks Stakes (Gr 2, 1514m) two starts back – and finished in the minor money a further seven times.
The lightly-raced mare has already banked more than $1 million in earnings, which is no mean feat given that she has done most of her racing in Western Australia where the prize-money pales in comparison with the riches on offer in Melbourne and Sydney.
“She’s not Arcadia Queen but then not many are, because she was a once-in-a-lifetime type of horse for our stable,” said Grant Williams, who also part-owns Alsephina.
“So she’s probably just a rung below the absolute topline mares, but she never runs a bad race and you only have to look at her record to see how consistent she’s been. We’ve been really pleased with her campaign in Melbourne, she’s settled in very well to David Brideoake’s Mornington stables and has done everything we’ve asked of her so far. She’s been eating really well and she spends most of her afternoons out in the paddock, so it feels like a home from home for her.
“Fitness wise and soundness wise, this is probably as good as we’ve had her. She had a few issues with her feet last year so she wasn’t 100 per cent sound, but we seem to have got on top of those niggles and she’s really thriving.
“The explosive turn of foot to win the Stock Stakes was really pleasing to see, and if she can replicate that effort at Flemington then she should give the race a real shake. The Empire Rose has always been her main target so everything has been mapped out to have her in the best possible condition for Saturday, and so far it’s all gone to script.”
Although Alsephina (and indeed the rest of the field) was ultimately no match for runaway winner Antino (Redwood) in the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) last time, the form from her Stocks Stakes triumph the start prior was franked when the runner-up Lady Jones (Toronado) took out the Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 2040m) on Cox Plate Day.
Coincidentally, Alsephina’s dam Delta Gee (Street Cry) finished second in the Tesio Stakes back in 2010, when she was trained by Michael Grant who hung up his binoculars in 2015 to focus on the G&G Bloodstock business he operates in partnership with his wife, Carolyn.
Delta Gee, who also raced in the same light blue and green shamrock colours as Alsephina, was retired shortly after finishing down the field in the Matriarch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m). She ended her career with four wins highlighted by her victory in the 2009 Natasha Stakes (Listed, 2200m), with Grant training the quinella after stablemate Admiring – also produced by Winx’s sire Street Cry (Machiavellian) – finished second under Willie Pike.
Delta Gee, a half-sister to Listed winner Wave Rock (Blackfriars), subsequently joined the Grants’ select band of broodmares and has since produced three racetrack winners, with Alsephina comfortably the best performer of that trio.
The Grants retained a significant share in Alsephina, as they do with all the fillies they breed, and they are hopeful their prized asset can provide a very timely pedigree update for her dam at Flemington on Saturday, when she will jump from barrier six under Blake Shinn.
“We’ve always known Alsephina had top-end ability,” Michael Grant told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“She was quite late to start her racing career because she was a bit of a slow maturer, but she flew out of the blocks with nine wins and two placings from her first 11 starts. She had a good spell after finishing second in the Railway Stakes and running really well in the Northerly at the back end of last year.
“Then we didn’t race her at all earlier this year because it was always the plan to take her east for the spring, plus most of the tracks in WA are a bit too firm for her. She doesn’t mind running on good tracks, provided there’s a little bit of give in them. She let down beautifully at The Valley when she won the Stocks Stakes, and the track at Flemington is always presented beautifully so I’m sure she will appreciate the surface there.
“Her run last time in the Toorak was excellent, she copped a significant squeeze at around the 500-metre mark which took the wind out of her, so to pick herself up and finish off the way she did for third was really pleasing.
“Antino was in a different league that day and Blake [Shinn] put on a masterclass, but she was only beaten a head by the runner-up, who is a pretty handy horse himself, and I’ve got no doubt she would have finished ahead of him without the interference. So everything has gone to plan so far and hopefully she can peak for her grand final.
“It’s great to have Blake back on board, he is an elite jockey and he rode her in a recent jump-out at Flemington, just to keep her ticking over with three weeks between runs. His feedback was very positive and all the team are really happy with her, which has given us the confidence to believe she’s still on the up and is ready to run a big race on Saturday.
“The Empire Rose is a proper Group 1 on arguably the biggest day of racing we have in Australia. I think every horse in the race is rated 100 or higher so there’s no hiding place, so we’re not naive to the strength of the field. But we couldn’t be happier with her form coming into the race, so we’re in there with a fighting chance.”
Regardless of the result on Saturday, Alsephina is likely to return to Western Australia for a spell in the paddock before chasing further riches next autumn, most likely in Sydney.
Despite turning six this season, the chestnut mare has made fewer than 20 competitive appearances so, provided she remains sound, the Grants remain confident that there is still plenty of racing ahead of her.
While she inherited her dam’s sharp turn of foot, fortunately she does not share the same propensity to injury which brought a premature end to Delta Gee’s promising career after 18 starts.
Sadly, health issues have also plagued her journey into motherhood, with Delta Gee suffering from gestational problems including endometritis. However, with a Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) colt on the ground and his brother set to turn heads at the upcoming yearling sales, she seems to have turned the corner in the latter part of her breeding career.
“Delta Gee was plagued with niggling soundness issues, so unfortunately we probably never quite got to see the best of her on the racetrack,” said Grant.
“She always had really good ability, and we had high hopes for her as a broodmare but she’s had a bit of a chequered breeding career. She had a few late-term abortions which were very hard, but fingers crossed that’s now in the past and we have a lovely colt to take to the sales.
“As a rule we tend to sell our colts and keep a share in our fillies, with a view to breeding from them further down the line. So we would’ve loved a filly but given the issues she has faced, we’re just delighted with any foal and both colts look to be really lovely types.
“We haven’t decided which sale we’ll take him to yet, but wherever he goes I’m sure he’ll be popular because he’s a really nice colt – and if Alsephina can win on Saturday, it’s fair to say his popularity would increase significantly. She’s already got a lovely page with multiple Group wins and multiple Group 1 placings, but obviously a win on Saturday would be huge for her and the dam.
“She’s really in a sweet spot with her racing, so we definitely want to keep her in training for at least another year and we’ll shelve any talk of retirement for the foreseeable future. Grant and Alana are good friends of ours and are great trainers. They’re doing a fabulous job with her and we’re really enjoying watching her race, so long may it continue.”