Swift Alliance wins the last, the 2011 Sebring Stakes, at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day
Swift Alliance’s success in the 2011 Sebring Stakes was a fitting end to the programme giving trainer Gai Waterhouse and jockey Nash Rawiller a treble at Rosehill.
Earlier in the day Waterhouse and Rawiller combined to win the $175,000 Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) with Fast Clip before superstar mare More Joyous became a five time elite level winner in the $400,000 Group 1 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1500m).
It was also the right race for Waterhouse who trained the events’ namesake, the top two-year-old in their day, Sebring.
The Sebring win was also enough to see Rawiller take out today’s jockey challenge with 10 points.
Swift Alliance also handed Andrew Baddock, manager of the Goree Pastoral Company Syndicate, a small consolation after their colt Smart Missile was sensationally scratched from the 2011 Golden Slipper.
In the Sebring Stakes, Swift Alliance jumped away well from the inside gate to settle right on the back of early leaders the Bart Cummings-trained Latin News and Atomic Force.
Given a nice run up the rails by Rawiller, Swift Alliance got them on the straight sprinting clear with 300m to go.
Carrying the big 60kg topweight of the field, Swift Alliance was still too good for them in the end and he won pulling away to defeat News Alert by an emphatic three lengths while Cardinal Virtue was a further quarter of a length back for third.
Swift Alliance has now won nine of his 17 starts for over $620,000 in career prize money.
The autumn racing action now heads to the Royal Randwick Carnival kicking off next Saturday, April 9, with AJC Australian Derby Day.
Stay tuned to Races.com.au for the full 2011 Derby Day coverage including race fields, betting odds, tips and industry news.
