Perth trainers Grant and Alana Williams are right at home in Group 1 company with leading owner-breeder Bob Peters but winning black-type with Chocolate Holic was something special on Saturday.
“He was going to the paddock after last week’s loss in the Ascot Gold Cup but we decided to give him one more run today.” Grant said after watching the horse they bred, race and train win the Listed WA Carbine Club Stakes (1400m) at Ascot.
Chocolate Holic was a market drifter with questions surrounding his ability to back-up until Damien Oliver sooled him to a half-length victory over former eastern states galloper Bass Strait.
“We kept asking each other whether we should nom again,” Grant continued. “He was jumping out of his skin at the beach on Tuesday morning so we went ahead and then booked ‘Ollie’!”
Chocolate Holic is by Blackfriars and became the Scenic Lodge champion’s 34th stakes winner in the Listed Northam Cup last month. Still only in his second prep, the gelding has won 7 times in 10 starts for earnings over $305,000.
“We were buried away on the fence and then the leaders quickened away on the bend,” Oliver explained. “I rode him for luck and switched across heels in the straight and he did the rest.
“Grant and Alana are great people and they’ve got a nice horse.”
Alana was instrumental in breeding their ‘nice horse’ from World Famous (Geiger Counter). The mare transferred west from Murrulla Stud and her best in a half-dozen starts was a second with Alana (nee Sansom) aboard at York.
After retiring from the jockey ranks, Alana was given World Famous and she bred Chocolate Moon and Chocolate Holic before on-selling the mare to Dandaragan breeder Dan Rieusset.
Grant and Alana still have all the bases covered with the family. They own Chocolate Holic and his older half-sister Chocolate Moon (Cape North) who foaled a Blackfriars filly in September.
Rieusset is also happy with World Famous. Her 2yo is a gelding by his sire Deadly Storm (USA) who originally stood at Brackley Park in Victoria.
He’s about to go into work and Rieusset decided to stick with the strength and send him to Grant & Alana at Karnup.