When Alegron crossed the line first in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday, he broke a winless drought that went back to September 2022.
But that fact alone belies the son of Teofilo’s incredible turnaround since then and the prospect of Alegron winning another Group race seemed rather outlandish at this time last year.
In the eight runs following his G3 Kingston Town Cup triumph, the gelding failed to register a placing, saw his rating drop from 114 to 101, and soon after listed on Godolphin’s Inglis Digital Dispersal Sale last November.
With a throat problem presumed to be the reason for Alegron’s sudden form downturn, seven-time G1-winning trainer Bjorn Baker elected to take a $40,000 risk on him.
A tie-back surgery and its accompanying rehabilitation followed, and after two fitness building runs, a second placing in the G3 Premier’s Cup last start had punters bullish for Saturday’s race, for which Alegron started $8 – his shortest SP for 20 months.
Even still, with just three runs under his belt, the step up to 3200 metres at G2 level was easily the sternest test of not just the horse’s ability, but the tie-back surgery as well.
Alegron settled last under Dylan Gibbons, and though the pace up front was good enough to give the backmarkers hope, there were to be no shortcuts for Baker’s galloper, who was forced into a long, wide, run from a long way out.
Yet, as the field one-by-one came off the bit, Alegron was the exception, travelling beautifully despite circling six and seven deep around the bend.
Captain Envious ($11) shot clear at the 300m mark, while Mostly Cloudy ($2.80) and Warning ($12) presented as chances, but Alegron was too strong for them all late, winning softly by a length on the line.
The victory arguably cements Alegron’s status as a cult-hero – $40,000 second-hand horses usually end up winning at the picnics rather than G2 level – but much bigger things could still be in store.
With sectional data indicating the five-year-old covered 14 metres more than Mostly Cloudy in second, connections now eagerly await the spring, with eyes on the race that stops a nation.
“He’s been a fantastic horse since Bjorn bought him relatively inexpensively. He’s had a really good prep and his run the other day put the writing on the wall,” said Baker’s bloodstock agent Jim Clark.
“I’m sure (The Cup) is the ultimate aim. It’d be a great story – an online purchase and one that could get to a Melbourne Cup after a wind operation. Bjorn has had very good luck with that.”
“They were very confident he’d be strong at the end of two miles. They ran along nicely, and it was a really cool ride from Dylan.
“Each run he has kept improving physically. I thought he looked a million dollars today. Stepping up to the two miles is the key.”
Alegron is a $51 chance for the Melbourne Cup.
– racing.com
