Alsace Lorraine

Alsace Lorraine put in another good effort to run on from the rear and finish fourth in the Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. It paid to race handily in this race, as it did all week really, the first, second and third were all up with the pace throughout, whereas James Fanshawes’s filly was held up last of all by Jamie Spencer. She travelled well through the race, Spencer switched her to the left a furlong out and she ran on well. She never looked like getting to the three in front of her, but they all look high class, and well capable of holding their own in Group 1 company and it was a very pleasing effort from a filly who was competing in Group company for the first time.

This race came after the Jersey Stakes where the two leaders were not caught either and that seemed to be a trend in a lot of races at Ascot last week, it proved hard for horses that were held up to get into the race, even on the straight course. In saying that, Alsace Lorraine goes well at Ascot, in her three previous starts there she had not been out of the first two in good races, and on her reappearance this year she stayed on strongly to win a competitive handicap impressively over the Windsor Forest course and distance.

A daughter of Giants Causeway, she is still fairly lightly raced even though she is five now, and there could be more to come from her. She is in the Falmouth at Newmarket’s July meeting. That may be a little ambitious, but she should be a major force in any pattern race limited to her own sex, especially back at Ascot.

13th June 2010