Alizee stormed to a resounding victory in the G2 Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick on September 16 to give her sire Sepoy his first Australian Stakes winner and underline the versatility of a stallion who was regarded as one of the dominant sprinters of his time.
A daughter of the brilliant Exceed And Excel mare Essaouira and a half-sister to G1-winning sprinter and Darley stallion Astern, Alizee had shown great promise in both her two and three-year-old preparations.
But it wasn’t until she stepped out to the 1400m of the Tea Rose that she realised her full potential.
Given a patient ride by Glyn Schofield, Alizee had trouble gaining clear running until 300m from the line. But when a gap came, she took it in an instant, racing clear to win by a length and a quarter from the well-performed Champagne Cuddles.
As well as providing a Stakes landmark for Sepoy, for whom she was a sixth black-type winner, Alizee capped an outstanding run for her sire who has had 34 individual winners since June 1. Among them is his first classic winner, Unforgetable Filly who won the G2 German 1,000 Guineas in June.
Alizee becomes Sepoy’s 97th winner and, according to trainer James Cummings, is now likely to embark on mission to become his first at G1 level in the Flight Stakes over 1600m at Randwick on September 30.
