Alligator Blood dominated the Magic Millions Guineas RL at the Gold Coast on Saturday and he can stamp that authority over the rest of his generation in Melbourne next month.
The 3yo son of Vinery sire All Too Hard won the $2 million feature race by two lengths and carved out the 1400m journey in 1:20.98s which was only a tick outside the track record set in 2001.
But the bare statistics don’t tell the full story. Delayed for hours in stifling conditions following a major accident on the Brisbane – Gold Coast motorway, he was a late arrival on-course and had to pass a vet test before being given the all-clear to run.
The race itself was stress-free. Positioned perfectly by Ryan Maloney, he presented in the straight and sprinted clear from Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) and Vinery-bred filly Exhilarates (Snitzel).
“He’s an amazing horse and just wants to win,” Group 1 trainer David Vandyke declared. “He was a bit unsettled after that hold up and didn’t look 100%. I wasn’t happy but wanted to give him an opportunity to do what he does best and that is to get out there and compete.
“Ryan rode him a treat and gave him plenty of room in the straight and the horse did the rest. Considering everything, it would have to be the highlight of my career.”
Purchased by Ezybonds Syndicate manager Allan Endresz for $55,000 from Baramul Stud at the 2018 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale, he is the final foal of Lake Superior (Encosta De Lago) and descends from the immediate family of Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy.
“Nothing went right before the race but once we jumped it was a dream,” Maloney said. “We had a beautiful spot and he just eased up three wide and went bang.”
Alligator Blood has won 8 times in 9 starts for more than $2.1 million in prizemoney. His only defeat was a short half-head decision to Super Seth in the Caulfield Guineas Gr.1 in October.
He’s well on the way to emulating All Too Hard who was crowned Australia’s Champion 3YO before retiring to Vinery in 2013.
A return clash with Super Seth is scheduled for the Australian Guineas Gr.1 at Flemington on February 29. Alligator Blood is the new $5 favourite for the classic and he’s firmed into a $8 second-favourite for the $5 million All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 14.
All Too Hard yearlings were popular at this week’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale. Endresz bought his colt from Innishbeg (Lot 405) from Vinery for $200,000 on Thursday. And Team Hawkes, who trained him to four Group 1 wins, bought an All Too Hard – Spoils colt from Vinery for $300,000 on Saturday evening.
All Too Hard has sired the winners of 10 black-type races this season. He’s also a Top 10 sire on the Australian winners and wins premierships for 2019-20.
