A regular shuttler to Swettenham Stud in Victoria, Galileo’s champion son Highland Reel (IRE) is off the mark with his first Australian stakes-winner with High Approach making light of testing wet conditions at Flemington to score a courageous win in the Listed VRC Tab Trophy Stakes (1800m).
Trained by Archie Alexander, Highl Approach broke his maiden over 1500m at Ballarat at his fourth start and jumped straight from there to Black Type company with a happy result.
He staged a thrilling battle up the straight with runner-up Linderman, prevailing to win by a long head for Ben Melham and has now won two of five starts earning nearly $150,000 in prizemoney.
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uo;He’s a horse that has come from a maiden win to town, but we wouldn’t have been here if we didn’t like the horse and we’ve always liked him and it’s a great result for everyone,” said Archie Alexander.
A $50,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Alexander Racing / Rogers Bloodstock from the MB Thoroughbreds draft, High Approach was bred by Dr Judith Mulholland.
“I can’t take any credit for it (his purchase), my racing manager Jeremy Rogers, on the last day of the sale said ‘come on you better have a look at this horse’ … $50,000 later and here we are,” Alexander said.
“We’ve always thought he was a Derby horse and thought maybe right now, but it all came a bit soon. He’ll have a break now and come back in the autumn and maybe aim up at a Derby, who knows.”
High Approach is the best of eight winners from good producing Encosta de Lago mare Encapsulate, a half-sister to the dam of Group II winning sprinter Super Cash.
Encapsulate was covered last spring by Strasbourg after missing to him the year before.
High Approach is from the first Australian crop of Highland Reel and is his first Australian stakes-winner and the third worldwide for the six time Group I winner.
Highland Reel is at Swettenham stud this spring at a fee of $16,500.
