THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: ALLIGATOR BLOOD ... JUST ONE MORE STEP!

By Graham Potter | Saturday, March 14, 2020

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

The unwavering support of the Sunshine Coast racing community for their superstar racehorse Alligator Blood will again be right behind the David Vandyke trained runner when he tackles his final assignment for this preparation in the $5 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield.

And what a preparation it has been.

It is the stuff dreams are made of and Alligator Blood’s journey is an absolute example of why ordinary people throw the dice and take up racehorse ownership in search of glory. Of course, that dream only eventuates for a very small percentage of those who make the investment, but nobody knows who will be touched with that good fortune and therein lies the intrigue.

There is no manual detailing the steps to success. High purchase price values, buying a yearling from the best bloodlines, placing it with the best trainers, having it ridden by the best jockeys and any other variable you may care to mention can mean little in the grand scheme of things and certainly the word ‘guaranteed’ is never a true option and is best avoided if you don’t want to be disappointed.

But when everything does go right, it can go right ‘big time’ as it has done for Alligator Blood and his connections in what has been quite an unbelievable journey for the $55 000 purchase.

Talk about ‘big time.’

To date, in just the three months since December 14, Alligator Blood is unbeaten in five starts which includes wins in the Gold Edition, the Vo Rogue, the Magic Millions, the CS Hayes and the Group 1 Australian Guineas. In those five races alone Alligator Blood earned $2 175,500 in prize-money … and, incredibly, he will more than double that figure if he can add the All-Star Mile first prize of £2 250,000 to his collection. His overall earnings (when you include prize money earned earlier in his career) would then also break the $5 million barrier … and all this from only 12 starts.

But perhaps Alligator Blood’s greatest achievement has been the fact that, through his eye-catching mix of superior ability and fighting character, he has elevated his profile to a position where he has gained a cult following and the overall, positive promotion of racing that has come off the back of his performances just cannot be bought.

So, it is now on to the All-Star Mile. This will be Alligator Blood’s last race this campaign and if he can sign off with a perfect six from six this time in it will be a phenomenal achievement.

Win, lose or draw … and, make no mistake, the All-Star Mile is a big test … all of Australia is embracing Alligator Blood as one of the country’s champions. We like to put a more personal slant on it.

Go Queenslander!