To Alverta & Charge Forward, a bay colt

Grand racemare Alverta has delivered her first foal, a bay colt by Charge Forward , born about 11.30 pm last night at Arrowfield Stud.

The Stud’s Operations Manager Sam Fairgray says, “He’s a good size, with a good body and head, and a very nice effort for a first foal.”

Pictured: Arrowfield’s newest mum of 2012, Alverta leads the field home in the 2010 STC Coolmore Classic G1. (PHOTO: Sportpix)

Although she earned more than $100,000 in each of her first three racing seasons, the imposing daughter of Flying Spur hit her best form as a 6YO in 2010, when she claimed the STC Coolmore Classic G1 & AJC Breeders’ Classic G2, before campaigning in Europe.

Alverta lost more than 40kg during the trip to England and it took all the skills of her trainer Paul Messara to get her back in top conditon for the July Cup over a stiff 6 furlongs at Newmarket. Alverta rewarded her owners Arrowfield Stud, John Leaver & Alan Jones with a magnificent performance for third, beaten less than a length by Starspangledbanner & Equiano.

On the strength of that effort, Alverta was rated that year’s Joint Champion Older Female Sprinter in Great Britain.

The courage she showed at Newmarket was evident again in the best run of her final campaign, when a fighting fourth behind the champion Black Caviar, Hay List & Triple Honour in the 2011 ATC T.J. Smith S. G1.

Alverta retired to stud with a 42-start record spanning five seasons for eight wins, 13 placings and $1.1 million prizemoney.

From the US-bred Rahy mare Grilse, Alverta was bred by the partnership of Arrowfield with Gainsborough Stud Australia, also responsible for champion filly Miss Finland.

Alverta’s mating with Charge Forward was not difficult to work out, given his success with Flying Spur mares (evident again in last Saturday’s brilliant debut winner Urban Groove), and their complementary physiques.