Alpha Delphini (horse)

Alpha Delphini (foaled 7 May 2011) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he was unraced as a juvenile and did not win a race until the August of his four-year-old campaign. In 2016 he made steady progress, winning three handicap races before taking the Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes. He won two minor races in 2017 and in the following year he recorded his biggest success when he won the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes.

Alpha Delphini
SireCaptain Gerrard
GrandsireOasis Dream
DamEasy To Imagine
DamsireCozzene
SexGelding
Foaled7 May 2011[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
ColourBay
BreederMrs B A Matthews
OwnerThe Alpha Delphini Partnership
TrainerBryan Smart
Record27: 8-6-3
Earnings£366,666
Major wins
Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes (2016)
Nunthorpe Stakes (2018)

Background

Alpha Delphini is a bay gelding bred in England by Mrs B A Matthews. In 2012 the yearling was consigned to the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale where he was bought for 20,000 guineas by Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock.[2] He entered the ownership of The Alpha Delphini Partnership and was sent into training with Bryan Smart at Hambleton, North Yorkshire.

He is the best horse sired by Captain Gerrard, a sprinter who won the Cornwallis Stakes in 2007 and the Palace House Stakes in 2008.[3] Alpha Delphini's dam Easy To Imagine never raced but was a successful broodmare who also produced the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Tangerine Trees.[4] Her grand-dam Emmaline was a half-sister to both Bates Motel and the San Antonio Handicap winner Hatim as well as being closely related to the Kentucky Oaks winner Optimistic Gal.[5]

Racing career

2014 & 2015: early career

Alpha Delphini was gelded as a two-year-old in 2013 and did not race that year. He made a belated racecourse debut in October 2014 when he finished unplaced in a maiden race over seven furlongs at Redcar Racecourse. In 2015 he ran second in a maiden at Doncaster Racecourse in May and fifth in a similar event at Hamilton Park Racecourse in June. On 29 August the gelding started at odds of 5/1 for a maiden over five furlongs at Beverley Racecourse and recorded his first success as he won by one and a half lengths from Grand Beauty.[6] On his final run of the year he came home fifth in a handicap race at Pontefract Racecourse in October.

2016: five-year-old season

In 2016, Alpha Delphini was ridden in all of his races by Connor Beasley and began his campaign by carrying 130 pounds to victory in a minor handicap at Musselburgh Racecourse on 24 April.[7] In May he finished fifth and third in similar contests at Thirsk and Pontefract respectively. On 8 July Alpha Delphini was assigned a weight of 137 pounds for a handicap at York Racecourse and finished strongly to win by a head from Gamesome.[8] Two weeks later he followed up in a more valuable handicap at Ascot Racecourse, wearing down the long time leader Final Venture to gain the advantage in the last stride and win by a short head.[9] The gelding was then stepped up in class to contest the Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes on 27 August and started the 13/2 second favourite behind Muthmir (King George Stakes) in a ten-runner field which also included Kingsgate Native, Maarek (Prix de l'Abbaye) and Final Venture. After tracking the leaders Alpha Delphini finished strongly and got up on the line to win in a "blanket finish" by a neck, a short-head and a nose from Willytheconqueror, Muthmir and Final Venture.[10] He was then moved up in class again for the Group 3 World Trophy at Newbury Racecourse on 17 September and sustained a narrow defeat as he went down by a short head to the four-year-old Cotai Glory.

2017: six-year-old season

For the first half of the 2017 season Alpha Delphini was matched against top class opposition and struggled to make an impact. He finished eighth to Marsha in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket, third to Priceless in the Temple Stakes at Haydock Park, sixth to Lady Aurelia in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and ninth to Battaash in the Coral Charge at Sandown Park. He was then dropped back in class and started favourite for a minor event at Hamilton, but was beaten three quarters of a length by the filly Glenrowan Rose. After this race Beasley lost the ride on the gelding and was replaced by Graham Lee, a former National Hunt jockey best known for winning the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House.[11] The change of jockey brought about no immediate improvement as Alpha Delphini ran unplaced in the Nunthorpe Stakes and then came home seventh behind Take Cover when attempting to repeat his 2017 success in the Beverley Bullet.

On 25 September Alpha Delphini started 5/4 favourite for a minor race at Beverley and recorded his first win of the season as he took the lead inside the final furlong and held on to prevail by a neck from Line of Reason.[12] In a similar race at Musselburgh in October Alpha Delphini ended his season with another victory as he took the lead approaching the last quarter mile and won by a length at odds of 6/5.[13]

2018: seven-year-old season

Alpha Delphini began his 2018 season by finishing second to Kyllang Rock when favourite for a minor race at Musselburgh on 31 March and then ran a close third behind Mabs Cross and Judicial in the Palace House Stakes. He was narrowly beaten in his next two starts, going down by a short head to Muthmir in the Achilles Stakes at Haydock after leading for most of the way and then failing by a head to run down Mr Lupton in the City Walls Stakes at York in July.

On 24 August Alpha Delphini ran for the second time in the Nunthorpe Stakes and started a 40/1 outsider in a fifteen-runner field. On Lee's recommendation it was decided to run the horse without the cheekpieces he had worn in most of his recent races.[11] Battaash started favourite ahead of Blue Point with the other fancied contenders including Mabs Cross, Mr Lupton, Sioux Nation (Phoenix Stakes), Judicial, Havana Grey (Sapphire Stakes), Washington DC (Phoenix Sprint Stakes), Take Cover and Judicial. After tracking the leaders down the centre of the straight Alpha Delphini moved up to dispute the lead entering the final furlong with his main challenge coming from Mabs Cross who was racing up the stands side rail. The pair crossed the line together, finishing clear of Blue Point and Battaash in third and fourth.[14] The finish was exceptionally close and the judge had to examine the photo-finish for ten minutes before declaring Alpha Delphini the winner by a nose. After the race Lee said "He'd been running really well, game as a pebble, and then when he's headed, he's been rallying like mad. I suggested leaving the cheekpieces off so that he could see them coming, and then you might not have to wait until they get past. The hardest part of riding him is usually going down to the start. It’s like trying to hang on to a bag of cement on a window sill but he was so relaxed today."[11]

On his final run of the year, Alpha Delphini finished unplaced behind Marsha in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp Racecourse in October.

Pedigree
Pedigree of Alpha Delphini (GB), bay gelding, 2011[1]
Sire
Captain Gerrard (IRE)
2005		 Oasis Dream (GB)
2000		 Green Desert (USA) Danzig
Foreign Courier
Hope (IRE) Dancing Brave (USA)
Bahamian
Delphinus (GB)
1991		 Soviet Star (USA) Nureyev
Veruschka (FR)
Scimitarra Kris
Fanghorn
Dam
Easy To Imagine (USA)
2000		 Cozzene
1980		 Caro (IRE) Fortino (FR)
Chambord
Ride The Trails Prince John
Wildwook
Zarani Sidi Anna
1990		 Danzig Northern Dancer (CAN)
Pas de Nom
Emmaline Affirmed
Sunday Purchase (Family: 9-f)[5]
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gollark: Depending on context, ZIP might actually be better.
gollark: And the lack of random access *is a flaw* for many usecases.
gollark: And tar *is* quite bad, it uses an accursuous ASCII format.
gollark: And then deleted the originals.

References
  1. "Alpha Delphini pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Tattersalls October Yearlings Sale". Racing Post.
  3. "Captain Gerrard - Progeny". Racing Post.
  4. "Easy To Imagine - Progeny". Racing Post.
  5. "Toxophilite Mare - Family 9-f". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  6. "toteplacepot Maiden Stakes result". Racing Post. 29 August 2015.
  7. "toteswinger Handicap result". Racing Post. 24 April 2016.
  8. "188bet.co.uk Stakes result". Racing Post. 8 July 2016.
  9. "SIS Live Handicap result". Racing Post. 22 July 2016.
  10. "Beverley Bullet result". Racing Post. 27 August 2016.
  11. Wood, Greg (24 August 2018). "Graham Lee and Alpha Delphini edge Mabs Cross to win Nunthorpe Stakes". The Guardian.
  12. "Eddie and Violet Smith Conditions Stakes result". Racing Post. 26 September 2017.
  13. "Breeders Backing Racing EBF Flying Scotsman Conditions Stakes result". Racing Post. 16 October 2017.
  14. "Nunthorpe Stakes result". Racing Post. 24 August 2018.
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