The tyranny of distance doesn’t hold any fears for Grant and Alana Williams in their quest to win another Group 1 in Melbourne with Star Turn mare Alsephina at Caulfield this Saturday.
The Karnup couple have won 16 Group 1 races and the time-honoured Toorak Hcp (1600m) comes just a week after they struck gold in the LR Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m) with Starry Heights (Star Turn).
Grant and Alana initially teamed up with Peters Investments and that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity launched a coast-to-coast conveyer-belt of Group 1 winners led by Champion Australian Female Sprinter Arcadia Queen (Pierro) and Caulfield’s 2020 All-Star Mile winner Regal Power (Pierro).
Newly-crowned Australian Racehorse of the Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) won this year’s $5million All-Star Mile and trainer Ciaron Maher decided on Monday it was in her best interests to bypass the Toorak and wait for the G1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday week, October 19.
Her stablemate Another Wil (Street Boss) is the new pre-post favourite at $2.90 while Alsephina has opened at $11. “Like a lot of trainers, we waited until Ciaron made the call with Pride Of Jenni,” Grant Williams admitted. “I’m not sure having to chase a champion like her would have suited us going into the (G1) Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington.
“That’s our Grand-Final and we want her there at 100%. She’s licking the feed-bin and thriving. Her feet weren’t right during our summer carnival last year but they’re fine now and we’re really happy with her attitude.”
Alsephina (6m Star Turn – Delta Gee by Street Cry) is a last-start winner of the G2 Stocks Stakes (1500m) at Moonee Valley and Williams declared she was spot-on after working at Caulfield for the first time on Tuesday morning.
G&G Bloodstock’s Michael and Carolyn Grant bred her during a four-year stint in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges before returning to WA in 2023. They also raced her dam Delta Gee to victory in the 2009 Natasha Stakes (LR, 2200m) at Ascot.
“She had a little issue on her x-ray so we kept her to race ourselves,” Carolyn said. “Grant was over looking at some of his foals on the farm and liked her straight away. We agreed to sell him half and I’m really glad we kept the other half.”
Grant and Alana cut out their share with Tony Buhagiar, Chris Chalwell and Tim McLernon among others and they’ve been rewarded with 10 wins in 17 starts for earnings of $986,040. The winning Toorak owners will bank $600,000.
Meanwhile, Team Williams have sent Starry Heights for a break after he went back-to-back in the LR Boulder Cup (2100m) and LR Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m) on Saturday. He’s the fourth stayer to double up in the Goldfields since the turn of the century following Opening Twist (Dr Grace) in 2001, Lawmaker (Old Spice) in 2002 and Stafford’s Lad (Demerit) in 2022.
Starry Heights was given a superb last-to-first ride by Willie Pike following Iowa (Ire) into contention before going clear by over a length as an odds-on favourite. “He could be a Perth Cup horse,” Alana Williams predicted. “We’re rapt for Rod Kemp. He’s a part-owner and really wanted to win because the Kal Cup was the one race that eluded him as a jockey.”
Like Alsephina, Starry Heights is by Vinery Stud sire Star Turn and was purchased for $35,000 from the Ruby Racing & Breeding draft to the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.