Search

show me:

Alligator Blood wins thrilling Gr 3 Hayes

3 minute read

Alligator Blood has narrowly beaten top New Zealand three-year-old Catalyst in a thrilling Group Three C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington.

ALLIGATOR BLOOD
ALLIGATOR BLOOD Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

The clash between Queensland star Alligator Blood and New Zealander Catalyst has lived up to the hype with the pair staging a stirring duel down the Flemington straight.

Alligator Blood prevailed in Saturday's Group three C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) to whet the appetite for a rematch in the Group One Australian Guineas in two weeks.

Alligator Blood's trainer David Vandyke was beaming with pride after watching his stable star lead and fend off the challenge from Catalyst who sat at his girth early before the pair eye-balled each other for most of the home straight.

Alligator Blood, the $1.80 favourite, won by a short head.

"Well that's what racing is all about," Vandyke said.

"I looked up at the sectionals there and they were rolling before the corner.

"I thought 'gee whiz he's going to have to be good'.

"What about that. That will go down in history, that race will. The little Queenslander gets up off the canvas and comes back and does it.

"That was amazing. It was Australia and New Zealand. Fantastic.

"Now we're looking forward to the Australian Guineas.

"They are a couple of stars, those two."

Alligator Blood has taken his record to nine wins and a close Caulfield Guineas second placing from 10 starts while Group One winner Catalyst suffered just his second defeat at his eighth start.

"They were going stride for stride and when he just got the edge that last 50 metres and showed his class, I thought 'wow, that's his best performance'," Vandyke said.

Despite the narrow defeat, trainer Clayton Chipperfield takes plenty of positives out of it heading into the Guineas with Catalyst who he believes will be better suited at 1600m and meeting Alligator Blood 1kg better at the weights.

"I could not be disappointed with that," Chipperfield said.

"We used this race to see if we've got the quality against these colts and geldings over here and he answered that question with ease, to be fair.

Alligator Blood's jockey Ryan Maloney rated it the gelding's most exciting and tenacious win.

"My bloke just wanted it," he said.

Chenier turned in a pleasing return in his first start for 10 months to finish only a length off Catalyst in third and is also Guineas-bound with trainer Anthony Freedman convinced there is improvement to come from the colt.

Flemington

Saturday, 15th February 2020

5
14:50
(local)

C S Hayes Stakes (G3)

Age: 3yo Sex: CG Type: OPEN
AUD $161,500
1400m TURF SOFT
5
14:50
(local)
AUD $161,500
1400m SOFT

C S Hayes Stakes (G3)

Age: 3yo Sex: CG Type: OPEN


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 3. ALLIGATOR BLOOD (AUS) 3yo G
ALL TOO HARD (AUS) - LAKE SUPERIOR (AUS)
RYAN MALONEY
DAVID VANDYKE
$1.8
57.5kg
G Harvey, Mrs R Simpson & J A Simpson

Sales Information

2nd 1. CATALYST (NZ) 3yo G
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - EVANA (NZ)
JAMES MCDONALD
CLAYTON CHIPPERFIELD
$3
58.5kg
Karreman Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: D Karreman)

Sales Information

3rd 8. ENRICH DELIGHT (AUS) 3yo C
MEDAGLIA D'ORO (USA) - ZYDECO (AUS)
DAMIEN OLIVER
ANTHONY FREEDMAN
$21
55kg
Peter Law Kin Sang
4th 5. SOUL PATCH (AUS) 3yo C
SHAMUS AWARD (AUS) - GOD BLESS US (AUS)
CRAIG WILLIAMS
K M KEYS
$31
57.5kg

Sales Information

5th 4. DALASAN (AUS) 3yo C
DALAKHANI (IRE) - KHANDALLAH (AUS)
BEN MELHAM
LEON MACDONALD & ANDREW GLUYAS
$6
57.5kg

Sales Information

6th 2. MINI FORCE X (NZ) 3yo G
DUNDEEL (NZ) - MISS ZAPPER (AUS)
REGAN BAYLISS
D & B HAYES & T DABERNIG
$67
58.5kg

Sales Information

Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au