Alpinara: 2.5 Million Guineas Filly Strikes at Doncaster

With much of Britain enduring a thermometer-busting heat wave last month, racing’s organisers took the sensible step of moving late-June cards at Doncaster and Yarmouth forward by a few hours. As such, those consulting the day’s fixtures were greeted by the unusual start times of 10:15am at Doncaster and 10:30am at Yarmouth.

One trainer watching the early action with particular interest was Newmarket handler Sir Mark Prescott, as he unleashed one of the most regally bred and expensive fillies in training. Fetching 2.5 million guineas at the sales, and a full sister to a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winning superstar, Alpinara disappointed on her sole start at two. How would she fare as she returned to the track as a three-year-old?

Bred for Greatness

Sire	Dam	Grandsire	Dam’s Sire
Frankel	Alwilda	Galileo	Hernando

Alpinara is the second result of pairing the mighty Frankel with the Listed-winning mare Alwilda. It’s fair to say that the first mating went rather well.

The first result of pairing the greatest horse of the modern era with Alwilda was the 2017 foal Alpinista. Like her mother, this wonderful filly hailed from the yard of Sir Michael Stoute and sported the green and white hoops of Miss Kirsten Rausing.

Showing definite ability at two and three, Alpinista claimed the Listed Upavon Fillies’ Stakes and finished second to Love in the Yorkshire Oaks. Promising as those efforts were, few could have predicted the brilliance that would follow.

Returning to the track as a four-year-old, Alpinista took over the 1m4f division, winning eight consecutive races between 30 April 2021 and 02 October 2022. Breaking her Group 1 duck in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, she added further top-level triumphs in the Preis von Europa, Grosser Preis Von Bayern, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and Yorkshire Oaks. And then came her finest hour.

The ultimate test of a 1m4f horse arrives each year in October, with the annual edition of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Having bagged Group 1 events in Britain and Germany, Alpinista headed to Longchamp to take her place in a field including talents from Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and Japan. Sent off as the 33/10 favourite in the 20-runner field, the good-looking grey moved smoothly into the lead with 1½ furlongs to go. With her class taking her to the head of the Arc field, her guts got her over the line as she repelled the late charge of Vadeni and defending champ Torquator Tasso.

Allowed to head into retirement following her Arc heroics, Alpinista ended her career with 10 wins from 15 outings, amassing a very tidy £3,321,033 in prize money.

Amo Racing Splash the Cash

A pedigree such as that boasted by Alpinara is sure to catch the eye of the biggest owners in the sport. As such, it was no surprise to see the filly attract significant interest at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 1) in October 2024. At the end of a fierce battle, Amo Racing’s boss, Kia Joorabchian, fended off determined competition to strike the winning bid of a cool 2.5 million guineas, equating to £2,625,000, and part of a £20 million splurge by the man behind the famous purple silks.

Inauspicious Debut at Newbury

Given her illustrious sibling and huge price tag, Alpinara generated more interest than most juveniles ahead of her 2025 debut in a 1m novice event at Newbury. What followed fell firmly into the underwhelming category. Sent off as the 6/1 second favourite, she looked in need of the experience throughout before fading to finish seventh of the nine runners. Amo would need to wait for a return on their investment.

Much Better in 2026

	Horse	SP	Jockey	Trainer
1st	Alpinara	4/5 F	David Egan	Sir Mark Prescott
2nd	Brunhilde	7/4	James Doyle	George Boughey
3rd	Green Area	13/2	Connor Beasley	Charlie Johnston

In hindsight, it was relatively easy to forgive Alpinara her debut effort over a trip likely to be shorter than her optimum, particularly as Sir Mark Prescott runners often improve for their first run.

Given the exploits of her mother and sister, the 1m4f British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster looked a more suitable assignment. The market seemed to agree with that assessment. Despite her no-show on her only previous start, Alpinara was sent off as the hot 4/5f.

Those who took the short price had few moments of concern. Travelling well throughout, the mount of David Egan moved into the lead at the 2f pole and merely needed to be shaken up for a 3¼l success. The £6,480 first-place prize money barely made a dent in that purchase price, but was no doubt a most welcome success and may lay the foundations for bigger and better things to come.

Trainer and Jockey Positive

Reacting to this win, Sir Mark Prescott expressed his relief:

“I think we’re all relieved, but it was very nice to see her do it well. There were some well-bred ones behind.”

The popular handler then compared Alpinara to another Group 1-winning star from further back in her pedigree:

“She’s very much like her grandmother Albanova, who won three Group 1s when she was five.”

Rider David Egan was similarly positive about the future prospects of the three-year-old, stating:

“She’s done well, and she has a lovely pedigree. She’s from a family of good horses who do nothing but improve with age, and is with the right man who knows what to do with her.”