Alcohol Free (foaled 23 March 2018) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best juvenile fillies in Europe in 2020 when she won two of her three races including the Cheveley Park Stakes. She improved as a three-year-old, winning the Fred Darling Stakes, Coronation Stakes and Sussex Stakes. As a four-year-old in 2022 she was dropped back to sprint distances and added a further Group One success when winning the July Cup.
| Alcohol Free | |
|---|---|
 Racing silks of Jeff Smith | |
| Sire | No Nay Never |
| Grandsire | Scat Daddy |
| Dam | Plying |
| Damsire | Hard Spun |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 23 March 2018[1] |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Churchtown House Stud |
| Owner | Jeff Smith Yu Long Investments |
| Trainer | Andrew Balding Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Botti |
| Record | 20: 6-1-3 |
| Earnings | £2,006,010 |
| Major wins | |
| Cheveley Park Stakes (2020) Fred Darling Stakes (2021) Coronation Stakes (2021) Sussex Stakes (2021) July Cup (2022) | |
Background
editAlcohol Free is a bay filly with no white markings bred in Ireland by the County Cork based Churchtown House Stud. She was offered for sale at the Goffs' November Foal Sale in 2018 and was bought for €40,000 by David Bowe on behalf of Jeff Smith's Hampshire-based Littleton Stud. Bowe later commented "Jeff is an owner-breeder primarily, but periodically we buy a few. I really liked her... She was a smashing filly, by a good sire and a good model so I bought her. We loved her from the moment we bought her, she went on to be a cracking looking yearling and she was always a keeper".[2] She was sent into training with Andrew Balding at Kingsclere.
She is from the third crop of foals sired by No Nay Never, an American horse who had his greatest success in Europe where he won the Norfolk Stakes and the Prix Morny as a juvenile in 2013. His other foals have included Ten Sovereigns.[3] Alcohol Free's dam Plying was a Kentucky-bred mare who showed some racing ability in France, winning two of her six races.[4] She is a female-line descendant of the American broodmare Intriguing, making her a relative of Rhythm, Super Saver and Woodman.[5] Further back, she is also a direct matrilineal descendant of superstar mare La Troienne, in common among others with 2003 US Horse of the Year Mineshaft, 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail, Kentucky Derby winners Smarty Jones (2004) and Super Saver (2010), and 2021 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality.
Racing career
edit2020: two-year-old season
editOn 15 August 2020, Alcohol Free was ridden by Oisin Murphy when she made her racecourse debut in a novice race (for horses with no more than two previous wins) over six furlongs on good to soft ground at Newbury Racecourse and started at odds of 8.5/1 in a nine-runner field. She recovered from a poor start to overtake the front-running favourite Al Saariyah a furlong from the finish and won "readily" by one and three quarter lengths.[6] The filly was then stepped up in class to contest the Group 3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes over the same distance at Salisbury Racecourse on 3 September. Ridden by Rob Hornby she raced in mid-division before making good progress in the last quarter mile but failed by three quarters of a length to overhaul the favourite Happy Romance.[7]
Murphy took the ride when Alcohol Free was moved up to the highest class for the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse on 26 September. She started the 7/2 second favourite behind the Irish-trained Miss Amulet (winner of the Lowther Stakes) in an eight-runner field which also included Happy Romance, Dandalla (Duchess of Cambridge Stakes) and Umm Kulthum (Firth of Clyde Stakes). Alcohol Free took the lead soon after the start and although she was never able to establish a clear advantage she repelled several challengers and won the race by half a length and a head from Miss Amulet and Umm Kulthum.[8] After the race Murphy said "She's a super filly. She's a group 1 winner now and certainly fits into the One Thousand Guineas category as she hits the line well and also relaxes. Andrew has done a top job with her because he's had to carefully manage her training regime. She's very generous at home, and he's kept a lid on her."[9]
In the official European classification of for 2020 Alcohol Free was given a rating of 112, making her the fourth the best two-year-old filly of the season, behind Campanelle, Pretty Gorgeous and Shale.[10]
2021: three-year-old season
editSpring
editOn her first appearance as a three-year-old Alcohol Free started the 9/4 favourite in a seventeen-runner field for the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury Racecourse on 18 April. With Murphy in the saddle she tracked the leaders before taking the lead approaching the final furlong and held of the late challenge of Statement to win by a short head.[11] Andrew Balding commented "We expect her to improve a whole load as she's backward in her coat and hasn't done a huge amount of work at home... She's got a massive engine which is what you need in a racehorse".[12]
On 2 May Alcohol Free started at odds of 10/1 in an eleven-runner field for the 208th running of the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. After racing in mid-division she made steady progress in the last quarter mile but was unable to reel in the leaders and came home fifth behind Mother Earth, Saffron Beach, Fev Rover and Santa Barbara beaten two lengths by the winner.[13]
Summer
editIn the Coronation Stakes over one mile on heavy ground in driving rain at Royal Ascot on 18 June Alcohol Free started the 11/2 third favourite behind Pretty Gorgeous and Mother Earth in an eleven-runner field which also included Shale, Fev Rover, Empress Josephine, Snow Lantern and Novemba (German 1000 Guineas). After racing in mid-division Alcohol Free made progress in the straight, gained the advantage from the front-running Novemba inside the final furlong and won one and a half lengths and a neck from Snow Lantern and Mother Earth. Shortly after the finish she jinked to the right and unseated Murphy.[14] "We were a bit concerned when all the rain came, because her stamina wasn't guaranteed... We have worked her at home plenty of times on soft ground, it doesn’t inconvenience her and she travels very strongly. It was just whether she would see out the final furlong, and I was very grateful that she really powered home."[15]
At Newmarket on 9 July Alcohol Free started 5/2 favourite for the Falmouth Stakes but after leading for most of the way she was overtaken in the final strides and finished third beaten half a length and a neck by Snow Lantern and Mother Earth.[16] At Goodwood Racecourse nineteen days later the filly was matched against male opponents and older horses in the Sussex Stakes. Racing on soft ground she started 7/2 second favourite behind Poetic Flare in a nine-runner field which also included Order of Australia, Snow Lantern, Tilsit (Summer Mile Stakes) and Century Dream (Celebration Mile). Alcohol Free raced in mid-division before making rapid progress on the outside in the straight, taking the lead inside the final furlong and winning by one and three quarter lengths from Poetic Flare.[17] Recalling his previous success in the race, which happened when Chief Singer triumphed in 1984, Jeff Smith said "I had jet-black hair and no worries in the world. I thought it was easy and that I’d come back and do it again. She’s something else and the way she has won is incredible. It wasn’t so much the opposition, I was more concerned that we did not have a repeat of the Falmouth where she got left in the lead having broken too well. She needs to get cover and something to aim at. Then she got bumped around and pushed back, but then the way she picked up showed what she really is."[18]
Autumn
editAlcohol Free was stepped up in distance on 18 August at York Racecourse and started 9/2 third favourite for the International Stakes over ten furlongs. She never looked likely win and tired in the closing stages to come home sixth of the seven runners behind Mishriff.[19] On her final run of the year the filly dropped back to a mile for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot when she went off at odds of 10/1 but made little impact and finished eighth of the ten runners behind Baaeed, beaten eight lengths by the winner.
2022: four-year-old season
editAlcohol Free ran five times in the 2022 season, ridden in all her races by Hornby. She achieved her fourth Group One success in the July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket, her only win of the season.[20] In November 2022 she was sold at Tattersalls for 5.4 million guineas to an Australian racing syndicate.[21]
2023: Australia
editIn 2023 Alcohol Free went into training with Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott at Kensington, New South Wales.[20] She raced five times in Australia without success, before returning to Britain in January 2024 in order to be covered by Frankel.[22]
Pedigree
edit| Sire No Nay Never (USA) 2011 |
Scat Daddy (USA) 2004 |
Johannesburg | Hennessy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myth | |||
| Love Style | Mr Prospector | ||
| Likeable Style | |||
| Cat's Eye Witness (USA) 2003 |
Elusive Quality | Gone West | |
| Hopespringseternal | |||
| Comical Cat | Exceller | ||
| Six Months Long | |||
| Dam Plying (USA) 2010 |
Hard Spun (USA) 2004 |
Danzig | Northern Dancer (CAN) |
| Pas de Nom | |||
| Turkish Tryst | Turkoman | ||
| Darbyvail | |||
| Nasaieb (IRE) 1997 |
Fairy King (USA) | Northern Dancer (CAN) | |
| Fairy Bridge | |||
| Atyaaf (USA) | Irish River (FR) | ||
| Bank On Love (Family 1-x)[5] |
- Through her dam, Alcohol Free is inbred 4 × 4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of her pedigree.
References
edit- ^ a b "Alcohol Free pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ Price, Kitty (1 October 2020). "'She was always a keeper' - Alcohol Free proving a fine rare purchase for Smith". Racing Post.
- ^ "No Nay Never - Progeny". Racing Post.
- ^ "Plying Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
- ^ a b "La Troienne – Family 1-x". bloodlines.net.
- ^ "Unibet Fillies' Novice Stakes result". Racing Post. 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes result". Racing Post. 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Cheveley Park Stakes result". Racing Post. 26 September 2020.
- ^ Mottershead, Lee (26 September 2020). "Guineas Buzz for Alcohol Free After Cheveley Park". The Blood-Horse.
- ^ "St Mark's Basilica leads Europe's colts as three fillies share top billing in two-year-old Classifications". The British Horseracing Authority.
- ^ "Fred Darling Stakes result". Racing Post. 18 April 2021.
- ^ Stevens, James (18 April 2021). "'She's top drawer' - Alcohol Free cut to 10-1 for 1,000 Guineas after trial win". Racing Post.
- ^ "1000 Guineas result". Racing Post. 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Coronation Stakes result". Racing Post. 18 June 2021.
- ^ Wood, Greg (18 June 2021). "Oisin Murphy demoted then wins but is unseated on eventful Royal Ascot day". The Guardian.
- ^ "Falmouth Stakes result". Racing Post. 9 July 2021.
- ^ "Sussex Stakes result". Racing Post. 28 July 2021.
- ^ Wood, Greg (28 July 2021). "Balding in mix for title after Alcohol Free raises cheers in Sussex Stakes". The Guardian.
- ^ "International Stakes result". Racing Post. 18 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Alcohol Free". Racing Post. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Superstar filly sells for +£5 million – and her future plans revealed". Horse&Hound. 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Brilliant mare Alcohol Free returning to Britain for a first covering with Frankel". Racing Post. 31 January 2024.
External links
edit- Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart – Alcohol Free