The Championships Day 1: Alalcance tightens grip on Sydney Cup favouritism with dominant victory in Chairman’s Quality at Randwick

The exciting, frontrunning Alalcance showed sustained speed and stamina to win the Group 2 $300,000 Chairman’s Quality (2600m).

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Alalcance made light of her 56.5kg impost to win by a commanding margin and can’t be penalised for next Saturday’s Group 1 $2m Sydney Cup (3200m) where she drops 4.5kg to 52kg.

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TAB price assessors reacted immediately to Alalcance’s dominant display slashing her odds for the Sydney Cup from $4.50 to $2.50 favouritism.

“She’s obviously just a great staying talent and just continues to improve every time that we see her step out here,” Bott said.

“That was great to watch, the second part of it. She gave herself a little bit of an issue there early, she was a bit slow into stride and Tim (Clark, jockey) just had to make a bit of use of her and there looked to be a bit of pressure early.

“But Tim knew the mare that he had underneath him and he knows her well and was able to judge the race accordingly from that point.

“Tim must have been pretty confident because he put the foot down early and made a sure thing of it but it was great to watch.”

Clark turned the Chairman’s Quality into a true staying test when he let Alalcance ($2.70 favourite) slide clear from the 800m and the grey mare turned for home well clear of the chasing pack.

• What the jockeys said: Day 1 of The Championships

But Alalcance didn’t shorten stride at any stage in the straight and was still well clear inside the final 100m where Clark shut her down and she cruised over the line two-and-half lengths clear of Birdman ($10) with Valiant King ($8.50) a length away third.

Alalcance has now reeled off wins in the Randwick City Stakes, Manion Cup and Chairman’s Quality in successive starts this autumn and with her weight drop she would appear to have the Sydney Cup at her mercy.

“If she learns to jump on terms and get going, good luck beating her. She’s just got so much stamina, and we always thought that,” Clark said.

“You can’t pull her up after the race, so the 3200m is going to be no problem,” Clark said.

“She drops down in weight and she’s going to be hard to beat because she’s just in a rich vein of form.”

Alalcance is now on track to become the sixth stayer this century to complete the Chairman’s Quality-Sydney Cup double after Circle of Fire (2024), The Offer (2014), Jessicabeel 2010), No Wine No Song (2008) and Henderson Bay (2002).

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Belle chimes as a genuine Oaks prospect

Belle Detelle, the lightly-raced relation of former superstar Verry Elleegant, showed elite staying prowess runs in the family with an impressive effort to win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Chris Waller-trained filly got better the further they went to score in the Group 3 $250,000 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m).

Belle Detelle ($5.50) was strong late as she held off the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Polymnia ($2.70 favourite) to win by a neck with Kris Lees’ You Wahng ($10) a further 1¼ lengths away in third.

Waller acknowledged it was a “very special” win.

Belle Detelle is a three-quarter sister by blood of Verry Elleegant as a daughter of Zed out of the Black Lace, the half-sister to Waller’s former superstar.

“We’ve always had a soft spot for her and we knew when we got her to 2000m she would start to excel because of that pedigree,” Waller said.

“But until you do it on race day, it’s easier to talk about it than do it, so it was great to see.

“I actually thought she might have been in a little bit of trouble at the 400m, Damian (Lane) was at work on her but she was really strong the last 100m.”

Verry Elleegant was a winner of the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes and Group 1 Australian Oaks during her three-year-old autumn season.

Belle Detelle is also likely to get her chance in an Oaks but it may not be next Saturday’s fillies feature on day two of The Championships.

“She’s had a long prep, she’s going to be fit enough if we decide to but at the same time, do we back off and go to Queensland for a Queensland Oaks?,” he said.

“I’ll have a talk to Damian (Lane) and see what he says.”

Bookies slashed Belle Detelle from $101 into $11 for the Australian Oaks.

- Mitch Cohen

Originally published as The Championships Day 1: Alalcance tightens grip on Sydney Cup favouritism with dominant victory in Chairman’s Quality at Randwick