By David Nagel
Alligator Blood has rubber stamped his credentials as one of the most exciting talents in Australian racing with a devastating victory in the $1million Group-1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Sandown on Sunday.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained six-year-old gelding was taken straight to the lead by jockey Tim Clark, and withstood challenges laid down by race-favourite Zaaki, and a fast-finishing Mo’unga, to land the third Group-1 of his career.
Alligator Blood will now be set for the $5million Group-1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday 22 October.
A son of All Too Hard/Lake Superior, Alligator Blood’s Cox Plate campaign looked in doubt when Racing Victoria banned him from the spring carnival because of controversial owner Allan Endresz’s discharged bankruptcy status.
Billionaire businessman Gerry Harvey bought a majority share from Endresz in August, leaving the door open for the Australian Guineas and Stradbroke Handicap winner to race in Melbourne.
Alligator Blood has had three runs in Melbourne this campaign, finishing unplaced in the Memsie Stakes, then running second to I’m Thunderstruck in the Makybe Diva Stakes, before Sunday’s impressive victory.
“Obviously he’s had a colourful career the horse, and you feel privileged to be able to have the opportunity to train him,” Bott said post-race.
“Particularly with Mr Harvey, to entrust us with him, I’m just very proud of the horse for coming out here today, out in trip for the first time, taking on a quality field.
“The pressure was put on to him very early in the race and I loved the way he responded and kept fighting.
“It was a fantastic win, we’re very thrilled.”
Bott said he wasn’t overly concerned with the gelding’s first attempt beyond 1600-metres, given his brave performance to go down narrowly to I’m Thunderstruck in the Makybe Diva.
“At his last start, I know he was grabbed late in the race, but it was very early in his preparation and it was a nice tough run, over a mile, when he’s had a bit of a checkered run to get there I guess,” Bott said.
“I felt there was good improvement, we saw that during the week, and just over that extra trip he’s able to find a nice rhythm, he can maintain those good sectionals at a high cruising speed and he can find under pressure.
“It’s a testing track here today, and I expect him to be able to find under pressure over a bit further as well.”
When asked if Sunday’s brave win was enough to earn a shot at Cox Plate glory…Bott was concise but emphatic.
“Most certainly it is.”
Clark said the plan was always to lay the cards on the table and show intent in the small but high-class field of six runners.
“He got away well, and as planned we wanted to show our intent early, and just try to get him into a nice rhythm from the 1400, 1200 metres onward,” Clark said.
“I thought he travelled really comfortably, he seemed to be doing it well within himself, then Zaaki did put the pressure on and eye-balled him, but I just felt he still had a bit to offer.
“We got down to the bottom of the dip and he responded courageously, and probably being just that extra run into his prep, I felt that Zaaki might have been a bit vulnerable late, going to the 1800 second up, I was confident my bloke was going to fight hard…it was a very tenacious win, a very satisfying win.
“Apart from Anamoe, all the other big guns were there, he’s proven himself at 1800 on a big roomy track like this (Sandown) so 2040 around the Valley – bring it on.”
Pakenham trainer Peter Moody claimed training honours on the day, with Waltz On By and I Wish I Win completing a winning double.
Both winners were ridden by Moody’s long-time stable jockey Luke Nolen.
