Making his 44th trip to the races in Wednesday's $350,000 Group III Jayco Bendigo Cup (2400m), the 6yo High Chaparral (IRE) gelding Red Alto had failed to hit the board nine times previously in stakes races, so it was no surprise when he went off a friendless $71 chance.
Giving lie to his disappointing fifth in the Hamilton Cup at his previous start, Michael Walker guided the Brent Stanley-trained gelding to a hard-fought half-neck win over the recent Ciaron Maher and David Eustice-trained acquisition Dal
With his first stakes success, Red Alto advances his record to 7 wins, 5 seconds and 4 thirds from 44 starts with earnings of $586,360.
Winning trainer Brent Stanley said Red Alto had
"He's performed around the horse before, he's run fourth in a (Victoria) Derby and sixth in a Queensland Derby, he just needed everything to go right at the end of a long preparation," Stanley said.
He gave us a big thrill when he won at Randwick (five starts back) beating all the (Chris) Wallers.
"He's done a good job, he has always had the ability. The owners were a bit concerned after his last start when he got his tongue over the bit. But with the tongue-tie on
A $28,000 purchase out of the Coolmore draft at the 2013 Inglis Australian Bloodstock Sale-Select Weanling Sale, Red Alto failed to make his $60,000 reserve when offered by the same consignor at the 2014 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
Like the great Winx, Red Alto was bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds.
He is the first foal of the unraced Danehill mare La Sangre who is a three-quarter sister to the South African Group III winner
La Sangre has a 2yo colt by Unencumbered and a yearling colt by Toronado (IRE). She was covered by Holler last year but missed.
Red Alto becomes the 122nd stakes-winner for Coolmore Stud's sadly missed High Chaparral (IRE) who died in 2014.
