| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2001
 |
| Peter O'Rourke,Robert Reid & Bob McArdle |
In the past, the Nevele R Superstars 4-Year-Old Championship has been won by some great horses. This year's edition may not have contained any names of the calibre of a Roydon Glen, a New Age Man or a Christian Cullen, but it took a truly superstar performance by Alert Motoring to win the event.
Alert Motoring scrambled away from his 10-metre handicap when the tapes were released, taking what seemed an age to settle into stride. When he finally did, he had added at least another 50 metres to the task. Back home in Clevedon, trainer Barry Purdon all-but wrote him off; on course part-owner Robert Reid shook his head and thought his horse couldn't do it; in the sulky, driver Tony Herlihy tried not to think about it. "Ricky May and Camero were a long way in front of us when we finally settled," Herlihy commented afterwards, signifying the enormity of Alert Motoring's performance.
Having gradually made up their lost ground and settled three-back on the outer, Herlihy and Alert Motoring unleashed with 700m to run and whistled up outside leader Final Ridge. They mastered him and forged clear soon after straightening for home, then had enough gritty determination to hold out the fast finish of an unlucky Camero. "The fact that he was having his first standing start was a worry tonight, but he had been alright at home," Herlihy continued. "It is all there though. He has got the potential to go a long way - always has. There is just a few things to iron out, as you can see."
Purdon was equally ready to lay praise on Alert Motoring, but as his trainer he also deserves a lot of the kudos for bringing the New York Motoring gelding back from relative obscurity to now loom as a major force amongst this season's 4-year-olds. After capturing his 2-year-old debut in July last year, Alert Motoring went on to win his five 3-year-old starts before a serious lung infection caused his connections to send him to the spelling paddock for the rest of the season. "I remember one of his wins at Cambridge where he recorded 1:58.9 fo a mile - he could have done anything that night," Purdon said. "He has always had a bit of class to him, this horse, I was keen to start him in the Derbies before he got crook. Alert Motoring has got a nice attitude, and is a nice horse to work with. He is back home again now, and his main targets this season will be the big 4-year-old races after Christmas."
Alert Motoring is raced by th Robert Reid Syndicate, comprising of Robert, Janice, Peter, Raymond and Tony Reid, and Susan Douglas. Robert Reid has enjoyed great success in the Superstars Championship, having been a part-owner also of previous winners Christopher Vance (1990) and Mark Roy (1993).
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 12Sep01