In a triumphant display at Hastings on Saturday, seven-year-old mare Our Alley Cat, a five-time placegetter at Group level, clinched her first stakes victory in the Group 3 Spring Sprint (1400m).
The daughter of Atlante, with six wins in 29 starts, had previously been a runner-up in various notable races.
Despite an awkward draw in gate nine, Our Alley Cat, under the guidance of the accomplished jockey Opie Bosson, executed a flawless run.
Bosson, who claimed four of the first six victories on the card, steered Our Alley Cat skilfully through the race.
Trailing the hot pace set by Not Guilty, Our Alley Cat surged alongside at the top of the home straight, seizing control at the 200m mark and cruising to a decisive victory with a margin of 2.75 lengths.
Not Guilty secured second place, with Mercurial, El Vencedor, and the beaten favourite Romancing The Moon following closely behind. The 1400m feature was completed in a swift time of 1:21.95.
The triumph marked a significant milestone for trainer and part-owner Vicki Prendergast, who expressed immense satisfaction at the mare's black-type breakthrough, adding, “She's such a special horse to us.” Prendergast had contemplated retiring Our Alley Cat after the previous season but decided to pursue a listed race victory, a goal now achieved.
Reflecting on the challenging race conditions, Prendergast noted, “The pace was really on today, and it probably wasn't ideal with the draw that we had, but we had the jockey, didn't we?”
Our Alley Cat's victory also reflected positively on Atlante, the former Mapperley Stud stallion, as she became his fifth individual stakes winner.
With a dam, Cat Woman, who won five races and placed in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m), Our Alley Cat's triumph added another chapter to her impressive racing career.