John Messara, John Leaver and Alan Jones’ ALINGHI (Aus) (Encosta de Lago)
did not disappoint in her U.S. bow for trainer Bobby Frankel in Monday’s
$135,966
Ballston Spa Breeders’ Cup H. (G3) at Saratoga. With leading rider
Edgar Prado in the irons, the 4-5 favorite stopped the clock in 1:40 1/5 for the
1 1/16-mile good turf test, returning $3.80, $3 and $2.80.
Unhurried early, the dark bay miss raced in a stalking position through
opening splits of :22 3/5 and :45 4/5 set by Lentil (Alphabet Soup). Leaving the turn for home after six furlongs in 1:10, Prado angled his mount out four
wide and showed her clear sailing in the middle of the track as the closers put
in their runs. The four-year-old filly got on even terms with the leader, Que
Puntual (Arg) (Contested Bid), and under encouragement from Prado, switched
leads and accelerated away from the field in the final furlong, crossing the
wire a 1 1/4-length winner. Que Puntual held second, a neck ahead of the
fast-closing Delta Princess (A.P. Indy).
“She’s push button and very exciting,” Prado said. “She’s got a lot of class.
The only question was whether she could get a mile and a sixteenth. Her turn of
foot reminds me of Kitten’s Joy (El Prado [Ire]).”
Alinghi topped exotics of $23.80 (exacta), $120 (trifecta) and $1,316
(10-12-7-4 superfecta) with 6-1 second-choice Que Puntual giving back $5.10 and
$4.10. Delta Princess, off at 11-1, paid $4.70 for the show. Finery (Lear Fan)
finished another neck back in fourth to complete the superfecta, and was
followed by Spring Season (Seeking the Gold), Cloakof Vagueness (El Prado
[Ire]), La Reina (A.P. Indy), Riskaverse (Dynaformer), Snowdrops (GB) (Gulch),
Lentil and Stupendous Miss (Dynaformer). Path of Thunder (Thunder Gulch) was
withdrawn, and Capeside Lady (Cape Town), Ender’s Sister (A.P. Indy), Provincial
(Pulpit) and Aesculus (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) were entered for the main track
only and did not run.
A winner of nine stakes in her homeland including eight Group races, Alinghi
is out of the stakes-placed Oceanfast (Monde Bleu [GB]) and counts stakes-placed
Slice of Paradise as a full sister. With her first U.S. stakes win she increased
her earnings to $2,692,858 and has a record of 17-11-3-2.