We will miss ‘Alice’
THE swan song victory of Carry On Alice in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday was accompanied by rare emotion from her normally phlegmatic trainer Sean Tarry and the win was significant for more than one reason.
The five-year-old Captain Al mare was a member of what is regarded as probably the greatest crop of fillies in South African history. She was the first among them to win a Gr 1 and currently is the last, although one of her best contemporaries, Smart Call, is still campaigning overseas.
Carry On Alice won one Gr 1 in each of the first three seasons and in her final season has won two.
Although all five of these were in sprint events, she showed her class as two-year-old when losing by a short-head in the Gr 1 Thekwini over 1 600m, despite jumping from a wide draw at Greyville.
As three-year-olds, five of this vintage crop won seven Gr 1s between them in open company.
Inara and Alboran Sea achieved the feat twice, and Carry On Alice, Majmu and Same Jurisdiction each did it once, Furthermore, both of Alboran Seas Gr 1 victories that season were in weight for age sprints against the boys. The crop went on to win another nine Gr 1s between them.
They had won eight age restricted Gr 1s between them, so that makes a total of 24 Gr 1 wins for the crop to date. This has been achieved by nine individuals, namely Carry On Alice (five), Inara (five), Alboran Sea (three), Smart Call (three), Same Jurisdiction (two), Majmu (two), Bilateral (one), Siren’s Call (one), Pine Princess (one) and Real Princess (one).
Carry On Alice is yet to win an Equus award having been ousted by three exceptional members of her crop, Majmu, Alboran Sea and Smart Call, in respective champion age group awards, and by Captain Of All and Talktothestars, both merit rated above 120, in respective Champion Sprinter awards.
This year she looks likely to walk away with two Equus awards as Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Female.
Carry On Alice has a fairytale story behind her and two of her owners, UK couple Dr John and Jill Warner, have become staunch fans of South African racing as a result.
If was only through the tender care of the Klawervlei Stud staff that Carry On Alice was ever conceived at all.
Klawervlei part-owner John Koster, speaking of her mother Carry On Katie a couple of years ago, said: “She used to throw these monster foals and maybe her canals were just too narrow. When she gave birth to her first foal she injured her pelvis and couldn’t get back up for a day or two. We nursed her back to health and the following year she conceived Carry On Alice.”
Carry On Alice was successfully born, but the following year Carry On Katie had complications when foaling down again. Despite round the clock care, both her and her foal did not survive the ordeal.
As consolation, Carry On Alice will be able to continue her legacy.
The Warners were two of forty people who had booked for a racing tour of South Africa in early 2012, which included in its itinerary a trip to Klawervlei Stud. When the Met was moved to a later date that season, the Warners were two of only four people who did not cancel their tour tickets.
On the trip to Klawervlei, Jill Warner asked Koster about a filly which had caught her eye in the catalogue for the pending CTS Premier Yearling Sale. The filly was, of course, Carry On Alice.
The Warners became part-owners of the filly a few days later along with Tarry’s chief owner Chris van Niekerk and Klawervlei Stud also kept a share. The Warners could never have dreamed Carry On Alice would give them such a wonderful ride and she has made them a myriad new friends.
On Saturday Carry On Alice proved she is better without cover as this allows her to use her high cruising speed to maximum effect.
She crept up to join the leader before Khumalo pressed the button at the 400m mark. That famous kick propelled her to the front and her big heart enabled her to stave off the challenges of Gr 1 winners Just Sensual and The Secret Is Out to win by a length.
Carry On Alice will be sorely missed by the racing public, who could always rely on her to give of her best.
Her career record ends at eleven wins, eight seconds and five thirds from 29 starts and she only failed to earn a cheque on three occasion and all of those were in races beyond sprints.