Alligator Blood fit for a King
ROYAL ASCOT CHANCE
CONNECTIONS of Alligator Blood will weigh up a trip to England to meet the King at Royal Ascot next year, but there could be a more lucrative program at home in store.
The $5m All-Star Mile is high on the agenda for connections of the horse, who boasts a cult following and could provide a rich payday for Queensland-based owners Jeff and Robyn Simpson, who have been with him from day one.
While drama has surrounded controversial owner Allan Endresz’s involvement in the horse, the unassuming milk bar owners have been on the ride of their life with the now four-time Group 1 winner following his win in the Group 1 Champions Mile on Saturday.
“Someone said to me on Saturday that he is as tough as a $2 steak, he is unreal,” Jeff Simpson said of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding.
“He really is a once in a lifetime horse for us, we own plenty up in Queensland with Al (Endresz), but you never dream of one like this.
“He is a really popular horse, his great name helps that and he still holds the record for the most votes in the All-Star Mile (2020).
Banned from racing in New South Wales due to Endresz’s undischarged bankruptcy status, connections are keen to speak to racing officials to get the situation reassessed following the sale of the horse to Magic Millions supremo Gerry Harvey.
Bott said while he has had huge success in Queensland and Victoria, where he is not banned, they were keen to explore all options with him.
“We haven’t addressed the Racing New South
Wales issue yet,” Bott told RadioTAB. “Obviously we have focused on a Victorian campaign once we got the ban lifted from there.
“We’d like to think with the new ownership structure, there’s no reason the horse couldn’t race in New South Wales, but that is something yet to be taken to the stewards or the officials.”
Royal Ascot scouts quickly courted Waterhouse at Flemington on Saturday to discuss a possible trip to the famous meeting, but connections could prefer to stay in Australia to chase the lucrative prizemoney on offer.
“I can picture Al (Endresz) over there liking it a lot with his top hat on in the back of the carriage,” Simpson laughed.
“(Alligator Blood) will go for a break now, we are not exactly sure for how long and then map out a program.” Bott said majority owner Harvey was keen to race the horse at home in order to boost the credentials of his stallion All Too Hard, who sired Alligator Blood.
“It’d be great to be racing internationally but ultimately it is Gerry’s call and I get the feeling he’d like to be fly here.”