Patience pays with Alleviator

Trainer Toby Edmonds’ policy of not rushing his horses is set to reap more benefits when exciting prospect Alleviator makes his city debut a Doomben.

Alleviator will be having only his second race start in the Three-Year-Old Handicap (1050m) on Saturday.

Edmonds said the gelding had been a work in progress and needed time to mature but he had always rated him a city class horse.

“He wasn’t ready to run as a two-year-old and he didn’t have his first trial until September,” Edmonds said.

“He had another three trials and won two of them before we gave him his first race start in January.”

Alleviator went straight to the lead in that race and led all the way in fast time over 900m at the Gold Coast.

Edmonds was keen to find the right race for the gelding to come to Saturday city racing.

“This looks the race. He has barrier one and Jeff Lloyd will ride him but it is a big step up in class,” he said.

Alleviator is raced by Michelle Lang-McMahon and her husband Peter McMahon who are champion equestrian riders.

They run Kolora Lodge at Waterford, near the Gold Coast, and have had several top racehorses including the 2013 Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Real Surreal.