Racing: Promising Alvesta has rough start to career

Owner and trainer Peter McKay. Photo / Martin Sykes

Yesterday you wouldn't know Alvesta had been to Wanganui.

Scares that the brilliant youngster could have been seriously hurt from jumping a running rail and crashing after a winning debut on Saturday could not be further from the mark.

"He's as good as gold," said a much-relieved part-owner and trainer Peter McKay last night.

Alvesta careered away to a six-length victory on debut on Saturday but ducked out sharply just past the winning post and threw Sam Spratt.

What happened next McKay knows only from what he's been told, because he dashed out onto the track to check on Sam Spratt.

"The word was he'd jumped the outside running rail just after throwing Sam, but others have told me he ran down the outside of the rail and turned right into the chute for the 1600m start where he jumped a rail.

"Some said he jumped one rail cleanly then had a crack at the next one, tipped the top of it and crashed.

"It's just as well he did tip it because it was a narrow lane with a rail either side and he would have had to take the second of the double."

When McKay arrived he said three people were sitting on the sprawled Alvesta to prevent the colt leaping up and running off again.

McKay feared the worst, but yesterday there is almost no sign of the mishap. "He's got no big legs, he's not sore or lame and the only sign is a tiny bit of hair off his chest."

Alvesta went to Wanganui for experience and returned home with about six months of it.

Which is good because his next start is almost certain to be in a A$100,000 listed stakes race at Flemington on October 2.

"I've had in the back of my mind that if he won his debut by a good margin I'd look to take him over for that Melbourne race to try and get him qualified for enough stakemoney to get him into the Magic Millions race in Queensland in January.

"If he'd won by only one length I wouldn't even consider it, but six lengths is different.

"If we can get enough dollars early then that's the best path to take."

McKay believes Alvesta ducked to his right because his two barrier trials were right-handed.

"When he's finished his trials he's looked to turn right and that's what he's probably done this time.

"He's not the sort of horse to do things wrong deliberately."

The speed Alvesta showed when asked to sprint from the home bend was exceptional.