Alinghi
8YO Bay mare by Encosta de Lago ex Oceanfast (by Monde Bleu (GB))
Foaled on the 20 August 2001
Won four G1 races and almost $3.5m.
Career: 18 stars: 11-3-2 Prizemoney: $3,470,325 Min-Dist-Win: 900m Max-Dist-Win: 1,610m Wins: 1 (1710m), 1 (1610m), 1 (1600m), 6 (1200m), 1 (1100m), 1 (900m)
Behind the name
By Encosta de Lago from Oceanfast (by Monde Bleu (GB)), Alinghi was named after the America’s Cup syndicate that was set up by Ernesto Bertarelli in the year 2000 to challenge for the America’s Cup. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America’s Cup. Alinghi successfully challenged for and won the 2003 America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand and successfully defended at the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia Spain.
It’s all in the family
- Alinghi’s full sister Slice of Paradise is the mother of BENETEAU who ran a course record time in winning this season’s G3 Blue Diamond Prelude before finishing 3rd in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes on Saturday 20 February 2010
- Alinghi’s full sister by Encosta de lago set a new sales record of $2.6 million for a filly sold in Australia in 2008
A diamond career
An $80,000 Melbourne Premier purchase Alinghi was trained by Lee Freedman.
As a 2YO she won Victoria’s richest race for 2YO’s – the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes. At 3 she won theG1 Newmarket Handicap – a sprint race won by some of racing’s greats including Placid Ark, Schillaci, Bernborough, Wakeful, Ajax, Takeover Target and Weekend Hussler.
During Alinghi’s short career she beat a number of G1 winners including Hollow Bullet and another three-year-old champion – Fastnet Rock.
Alinghi was never unplaced until her last start in Australia (her sixteenth start), when she finished fourth in the G1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick.
Arrowfield Stud negotiated to purchase the filly and she was then sent to the United States where her race conditioning was taken over by US Racing Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel.
In her first start racing in the Stud’s colours Alinghi won the Grade 3 Ballston Spa Handicap(1700m) at Saratoga on 30 August 2005 before finishing 8th in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland in Kentucky. The mare unfortunately had to be retired after that start when she suffered a tendon injury at trackwork.
Alinghi arrived at Arrowfield on 24 Jan 2006 and was covered in her first season at stud by Champion Sire Hussonet (USA). This mating produced a filly called Line Honours (in keeping with the nautical theme of her dam’s pedigree).
Line Honours is currently in training with Lee Freedman.
