Alarmist all class on debut at Awapuni

Stratford trainer Dick Bothwell knew he had a good one on his hands with two-year-old filly Alarmist however the trick was actually getting her to the racetrack to prove that.

Dick, who prepares the daughter of Shocking in partnership with son Chris, has had the filly in work for the past eight months but each time he has contemplated a raceday start she has put a spanner in the works with a growth spurt.

"She just hasn't stopped growing since we brought her into work," he explains.

"We have had her ready to go on several occasions but each time she had a growth spurt so we had to back off her. She is definitely not a natural two-year-old so what she did on Saturday showed how much raw talent she has."

On a track officially rated at the maximum level permissible of heavy 11 but playing worse than that after 48 hours of torrential rain, Alarmist proved her toughness when she drew clear of her rivals in the closing stages of Saturday's opening contest at Awapuni to record a pedestrian 1m 23.64s for the 1200 metre journey.

"We were fairly confident of a winning performance as she has had a few jump-outs at home and at her last one she comfortably beat the older horses who have already won a couple of races," says Dick.

"There was no guarantee she would handle the track but she got through it well and did a very professional job on debut.

"I think the most exciting thing is that we know she is just not a mudder as her work on a good track has been fantastic so there is plenty to look forward to next season."

Alarmist was a $10,000 purchase for Dickl at the Festival session of the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale Series at Karaka. She is the third winner for 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.