Group 1 winner and star import Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) is set to have his first Australian start and first of 2023 in the All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley on Mar. 18 after being handed a wildcard entry for the race on Friday, Racing.com reported. The 5-year-old horse joined trainer Mike Moroney's stable in December, with the All-Star Mile always a target race for his Australian debut.
Alenquer, who was previously trained by William Haggas, hasn't started since a ninth-place finish in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 2.
“It wasn't a hard decision for the wildcard panel to land on Alenquer as our first wildcard and he joins a fantastic group of 10 horses, headed by Alligator Blood (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), that were voted into the All-Star Mile by the public this week,” RV Executive General Manager, Racing, Matt Welsh told Racing.com. “With 11 runners now in the field, our focus will be on key races at Flemington and Randwick tomorrow before we issue the remaining four wildcards by early next week.”
In 2021 as a 3-year-old, Alenquer won the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. He ran third in the 2400-metre G1 Grand Prix de Paris and second in the G1 Juddmonte International S. later in the year. Last term, the son of Adlerflug won the G3 Winter Derby at Lingfield on the all-weather in February and the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh in May.
“He's a Group 1 winner in Ireland and has contested the past two Arc de Triomphes. He's got plenty of class,” Moroney said. “He's settled in really well at Flemington since arriving from overseas and we've been pleased with how he's come to hand in his first prep for the stable. We're excited to unveil him at The Valley in a fortnight. Fresh up over a mile we think he's going to be a serious player in The All-Star Mile.”
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