Williams stable celebrate whopping $1.1 million Alsephina sale ahead of Western Empire’s Belmont Sprint tilt

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Williams stable celebrate whopping $1.1 million Alsephina ***** ahead of Western Empire’s Belmont Sprint tilt

Grant and Alana Williams have a chance to cap an already remarkable week with Western Empire in Pinjarra’s transferred Group 3 $200,000 Belmont Sprint (1400m).

On Tuesday, the Williams’ bonny mare Alsephina sold for $1.1 million to Katsumi Yoshida of Japan at the Gold Coast National Broodmare *****, ending her whirlwind tenure for the husband-wife training duo.

Her ***** price almost matched her deeds on the track, retiring with stakes of over $1.1 million after running in March’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.

“Ï thought she could make $1 million. The reserve was a lot lower, but I said to them, ‘put a realistic, conservative reserve on her and get her on the market’ and the market took care of the rest,” her consigner Julian Blaxland said.

“She’s a beautiful mare, great physical and she rated really well with all the ratings guys. She was a proper mare, she might have only been a Group 2 winner, but she was certainly Group 1 calibre.”

Despite the excitement, Grant Williams remains all business at the stable’s Karnup property to ready Western Empire for the Belmont Sprint.

After the latter half of Belmont’s Saturday fixture was postponed due to track issues, Williams had to take evasive action to ensure the gelding’s preparation was spot on.

“On Sundays, every horse in our place has the day off,” Williams told TABradio.

“They have a light day on the Friday and just go on the water walker, so we couldn’t afford to give them an easy day Saturday as well.

“We galloped a few of those horses that weren’t able to race on Saturday, on Sunday.

“We took him to the old hill on Sunday just for a change and he worked really good.

“(Alana) is happy with him, so that’s good enough for me.”

A $4.20 TABtouch second elect trailing favourite West Star ($3), Western Empire is awkwardly drawn in gate 14 but will be suited to the rise to 1400m.

“We’ll still be three deep with cover at some stage,” Williams said.

“Belmont does suit the horse; it’s a big open track. It’s not ideal (to be at Pinjarra), but at least we’re going around.

“The only way we could be at 1200m again (like last start) would be because we needed a run or something like that.

Camera IconWestern Empire wins the 2024 Belmont Sprint for jockey William Pike Credit: Simon Merritt/Simon Merritt / Western Racepix

“That won’t happen again and we’ll change our course next time, and go back to the longer races.”

The son of Iffraaj is the defending champion of the Belmont Sprint having beaten Searchin’ Roc’s by a nose last year. He went on to run in the Hyperion and Strickland Stakes (1600m and 2000m) subsequent to that run, with Williams indicating that may again be the case.

This Saturday’s Belmont meeting has also been shifted to Pinjarra with further extensive testing commissioned to external consultants Ground Science and Living Turf, who will analyse both the surface of the track and soil and sand profiles beneath.

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