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By Ray Hickson

Alalcance, the staying find of the autumn, has the chance to put her Sydney Cup rivals on notice by making it three straight in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Schweppes Chairman’s Quality (2600m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Jockey Tim Clark (Pic: Steve Hart)

Jockey Tim Clark, while wary of the presence of the William Haggas-trained Desert Hero, says Alalcance has continued to improve since she arrived in Australia and what we’re seeing now is a horse that’s nearing the top of her game.

The five-year-old has led all the way to win the Randwick City Stakes and the Manion Cup at her two runs backs and she’s a warm favourite, $2.60 with TAB on Friday, to continue on her winning way in the Chairman’s.

“I hold no fears at the 2600m, she does go up a little more in weight but deservedly so,’’ Clark said.

“We’re getting into the pointy end now and you can’t make any mistakes or be off your game once you get to this sort of level.

“She’s got to continue to hold her form and do everything right and if she can do that she will take running down. She was put on a Sydney Cup path and so far so good.

“I think she deserves to be favourite and she’s the one they all have to beat.”

Since arriving last year as a winner of a maiden at The Curragh, Alalcance has won three of her five starts for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and was beaten half a length or under in the other two.

Clark, a noted ace at front-running riding, said it’s basically ‘what you see is what you get’ with Alalcance – she likes to roll along and is a true stayer.

That was on show in the Manion Cup as she put more than four lengths on her opposition, many of which line up again on their way to next Saturday’s 3200m Sydney Cup.

“She’s got a nice cruising speed, she’s going to always be running them along to a certain degree,’’ Clark said.

“She gets into a nice rhythm and it gives everything a chance. She can maintain some really good sectionals and obviously has very good stamina.

“That’s how she likes to race and nothing will change.

“She is pretty straightforward to ride but there’s a fine line as well. She has a big action she likes to use and I try not to get in her way too much.”

Circle Of Fire won both the Chairman’s and Sydney Cup last year, and Alalcance heads the market on the latter at $4.50.

Among his other rides, Clark warns Shangri La Spring has the right scenario to upset a couple of more established three-year-olds in the Group 3 $250,000 HKJC World Pool Handicap (1600m).

The colt was run down by Snow In May and French Ruler in the Canberra Guineas first-up but Clark said he’s benefited from a recent trial and will look to give the likes of Evaporate and Swiftfalcon something to chase.

“He’s a horse not to be underestimated, he has a very good record and had to give weight and race fitness to horses at Canberra,’’ he said.

“A drying track will allow me to let him run along a bit and he may react very well to a flowing run 1600m race where he can put the others in a bit of a pain barrier behind him.

“There won’t be any hiding, he’s up against some very good three-year-olds. I expect my horse will give a strong kick and look the winner for a long way down that Randwick straight.”

Alalcance wins the Manion Cup at Rosehill on March 22

Tim Clark on North England (race 1): “It was a high pressure race (the Slipper) and it was well documented he’d missed that run leading into it, so it might have caught up to him and left him a bit vulnerable late. He seems to have bounced out of it well and, back to 1100m, with two 1200m runs it sets up well for him.”

On Royal Patronage (race 8): “What a fantastic race it is shaping up to be, one of the strongest for a long time. He was a very good winner first-up over 1300m on this track and definitely wasn’t disgraced last time beaten a length or so in the George Ryder. If he has a little bit of luck from that gate he’s going to run a mighty race. I think he’s in with a nice weight as a Group 1 winner two starts ago.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 1 of The Star Championships at Randwick