AFTER taking Victorian racing by storm last spring, South Australian stayer Alcopop will race exclusively in Sydney during the autumn in a bid to capture his first group 1 success, reports The Age.It says: Alcopop managed to rise from a maiden performer to a Melbourne Cup favourite in the space of a year, with connections fielding bids from around the world to purchase part or all of the the Victor Harbor-trained five-year-old.Alcopop will leave for Sydney in February for a preparation of group
AFTER taking Victorian racing by storm last spring, South Australian stayer Alcopop will race exclusively in Sydney during the autumn in a bid to capture his first group 1 success, reports The Age.
It says: Alcopop managed to rise from a maiden performer to a Melbourne Cup favourite in the space of a year, with connections fielding bids from around the world to purchase part or all of the the Victor Harbor-trained five-year-old.
Alcopop will leave for Sydney in February for a preparation of group 1 weight-for-age racing. His autumn campaign will begin in the Apollo Stakes over 1400 metres on February 20, with his ultimate goal the BMW Stakes (2400 metres) in early April.
Trainer Jake Stephens said Alcopop had done well in his five weeks in the paddock and had returned to the stables last week. The lightly raced gelding won a class 3 race at Morphettville at the start of the spring but made giant leaps in his next three starts, winning the Balaklava Cup, the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley and Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield.
He started favourite in the Melbourne Cup and, after striking trouble, ran a credible sixth behind Shocking.