Alverta set for Sunday’s G1 sprint at Deauville
Flying Spur ‘s brilliant daughter Alverta is in excellent order ahead of her third European start this Sunday 8 August at Deauville, in the Prix Maurice de Gheest 1300m G1. The race will screen live on SKY Racing World at 11.40 pm on Sunday evening (AEST).
She worked very well at Newmarket on Saturday morning and travels to France tonight, accompanied by her trainer Paul Messara, and Louis Le Metayer from Arrowfield’s bloodstock team. Alverta, pictured with her groom Leah Gavranich, will be stabled at the Head family’s famous Haras de Quesnay.
Regular jockey Tye Angland will fly to France to be re-united with the seven-year-old mare, who ran a splendid third in the July Cup G1 and is the sole remaining overseas visitor in Newmarket.
The field for the Prix Maurice de Gheest is high-class, with four Group 1 winners, including Alverta; five Group 2 winners, among them Sheikh Hamdan’s smart three-year-old filly Joanna; and three winners at Group 3 level.
If all goes well on Sunday, Alverta may return to France for the Prix de le Foret G1 at Longchamp on Arc day, Sunday 3 October, with the seven-furlong Doncaster Park S. G2 on Saturday 11 September also a possibility.
On the 2009/10 Australian and New Zealand Thoroughbred Classifications released earlier today, Alverta is the Leading Older Sprinting Mare with a rating of 115 achieved in the July Cup. The six-year-old mare also won the STC Coolmore Classic G1 and BRC Just Now H. LR in Australia last season, and took her career earnings to $1,084,855.
