Twelve month ago Alta Allure was a $91 outsider when she finished an inconspicuous sixth in the annual Laurie Kennedy group 3 event for mares, and at Gloucester Park on Friday night Banjup owner-trainer Annie Belton was rewarded for her patient care when the seven-year-old stormed home to score an impressive victory in the Team Bond Laurie Kennedy feature race.
Champion reinsman Chris Lewis heaped praise on Mrs Belton, saying: “she has done a great job with her. Alta Allure has come a long, long way from when she started, and to get to this point I don’t think they would’ve expected her to be racing so well. But she has progressed really well.”
Lewis admitted that things didn’t work out to plan on Friday night. “Things didn’t turn out as I had planned because I thought there would have been a lot more pace early, and after an easy opening quarter of 29sec. I was able to get to the breeze comfortably,” he said.
“And after that I was able to take the one-one trail, and things worked out perfectly.”
Polemarker and $2.90 favourite Sugar Delight was beaten for early speed by Madam Publisher ($3.20), and when Shane Young dashed $5.50 chance Wonderful To Fly forward to the breeze after about 500m Lewis was delighted to take the perfect sit behind Wonderful To Fly in the one-out, one-back position.
After middle 400m sections of 28.7sec. and 28.3sec. Alta Allure, a $27.50 chance, sprinted strongly to burst to the front with 90m to travel before winning by just over a length from Sugar Delight, who ran home determinedly after getting into the clear in the final stages.
The victory improved Alta Allure’s record to 53 starts for ten wins, 15 placings and $136,497 in prizemoney. Alta Allure, who is by former brilliant pacer Alta Christiano, was bred and is owned by Mrs Belton and her husband Colin.
Alta Allure is the third foal out of D M Dilinger mare Miss Allure, who was bred and is owned by the Beltons, who gave her 89 starts for just three wins, 19 placings and $32,483.
Lady Valasca, an elder full-sister to Alta Allure, has earned $40,853 from four wins and eleven placings from 35 starts, with the highlight of her career her third placing in a three-way photo finish behind Soho Interceptor and Delightfulreaction in the group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies in June 2018.
Alta Allure will be set for the $50,000 Lombardo Pace for mares on March 6 and the $35,000 Golden Girls Mile at Pinjarra ten days later.
