3 minute read

Unbeaten Queensland star Alligator Blood will attempt to emulate his sire All Too Hard in the $2 million Caulfield Guineas after winning his belated Melbourne debut at Caulfield on Sunday.

All Too Hard won the Caulfield Guineas in 2012 beating Pierro in a memorable finish and now has a son capable of rising to the same heights after the David Vandyke-trained Alligator Blood accounted for some serious rivals in Sunday's G3 Guineas Prelude (1400m).

Alligator Blood (All Too Hard x Lake Superior by Encosta De Lago) has won all his five starts with his first four wins recorded in Queensland as he began his climb through the ranks.

Sunday's first black type success made him the tenth individual stakes winner by All Too Hard and took his earnings to %289,250 for the Ezybonds Syndicate after they paid $55,000 for him at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. 

His progress has not been easy as he was a raceday scratching in Sydney last month, forcing Vandyke to take him back to Queensland and alter his program to get him back on track for his Melbourne campaign.

"Alligator Blood has an interesting personality," Vandyke said. "He is always looking to do something and take in his surroundings."

"After the carry-on at Rosehill we thought we better go and bring him to the track here and see how he behaves."

"Wait until we get out to the mile - he might do what his dad did."

All Too Hard, a half-brother to champion mare Black Caviar, won the Guineas at his eighth career start and went on to finish second to Ocean Park in the Cox Plate at his next start before returning in the autumn to win another three G1 races in Melbourne and Sydney.

He has sired four G2 winners and three G1 placegetters but is yet to have his own G1 winner.

Alligator Blood is the last foal from the unraced Lake Superior, a daughter of VRC Oaks and Australasian Oaks placegetter Kylikwong.

Her grand-dam Tracy's Element is the dam of the 2009-10 Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy.

Lake Superior, who died in 2017, is a half-sister to the Listed winner Cantonese (Redoute's Choice), stakes-placed Chateau Margaux (Redoute's Choice) and the G3-placed Monteux (Medaglia d'Oro).