RUSSIAN ALLIANCE MAKES LONG-AWAITED RETURN

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Kevin Kemp trained Whiskey Dream played his part in what could be a very satisfying week for his trainer when he claimed a third successive win at the midweek meeting at Ipswich on Wednesday, a sequence which has kept the son of Dream Ahead unbeaten in the three races he has tackled in 2024.

Kemp will be looking for a repeat dose of that winning tonic at Doomben on Saturday where, amongst others, he saddles the very smart Russian Alliance, who has won five out of seven starts, in the QTIS Jewel Prelude Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1110m.

“She’s drawn nine. Hopefully, that’s not too wide for her,” said Kemp.

“She’s done well. She has had a couple of jump-outs, and she has done well in them.

“She’s ready.”

That’s a very important vote of confidence from Kemp, given that Russian Alliance will be making her first appearance as a three-year-old, a full six-and-a-half months into her three-year-old season ... and after an overall nine-and-a-half month time away from race action, having last raced in the Listed Bill Carter back in May 2023 in which she finished unplaced.

Don’t let that unplaced run fool you.

“I’d say she had just come to the end of her preparation in the Bill Carter,” was Kemp’s assessment of that result, but it is Russian Alliance’s results prior to that ... namely her five wins in-a-row ... which deserves specific attention.

Those five successive wins came in a two-and-a-half month hot spot, stretching from her Maiden win at her home base of Toowoomba on February 25, 2023, to a Group 3 win in the Ken Russell at the Sunshine Coast on May 6, 2023.

A further notable point of reference is that the horse who Russian Alliance beat home in the Ken Russell was Abounding, who has gone on to win both the Listed Gold Edition and the $2 million Magic Millions Three-Year-Old Guineas.

“We put her in the paddock. We brought her back and we’ve tried to allow her to build up slowly to this one,” said Kemp, referring to QTIS Jewel Prelude at Doomben on Saturday.

“If she does well, she’ll go to the Gold Coast in two weeks.” That’s when the $500 000 QTIS Three-Year-Old Jewel will be run.

Kyle Wilson-Taylor will take the ride on Russian Alliance for the first time on Saturday when the Kemp trained runner will face fifteen rivals in the ninth race on the card.

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