Madrid to stay in Australia…for now

Leading harness racing trainer Jarrod Alchin has revealed plans to set star Bling It On filly Madrid towards a tilt at the lucrative Riverina Four & Five Year Old Championships in April next year.

Speaking exclusively on the Harness Racing NSW podcast The Sprint Lane, Alchin confirmed the multiple Group 1 champion returned to work on Tuesday ahead of what could be one final campaign on Australian soil.

That would start with the Ladyship Mile against some of the leading mares in the country before taking on Riverina’s pinnacle Carnival over the Easter weekend.

It is refreshing news following whispers that Madrid would be immediately sold to American investors after her victory in the final of the Breeders Challenge Blue Series.

“Where it stands at the moment, Trav’s decided he’s probably not going to sell her. He’s going to keep her and send her over to America himself,” Alchin told The Sprint Lane podcast.

“So it’s just the logistics and everything that will be sort of finalised in the next couple of weeks I’d say.”

“We’ll get through that (the Ladyship Mile campaign) and go to Wagga for the series down there, the four and five-year-old mares race and then at this stage she’ll look to go to America straight after that.”

“At this stage that’ll be the plan but we’ll know more in the next couple of weeks about the logistics of when she’s going to go to America.”

The Alchin and Madrid relationship has been a highly successful journey. From 20 starts, she’s won 13 of them and only finished out of place on three occasions.

She has struck up a wonderful partnership with premiership winning driver Cameron Hart, with the duo winning 12 times together and raking in more than $300,000 in stakes money. Including two Group 1 victories.

“She’s been very good to me. She came to me as a yearling that was doing everything wrong and to take her through to where she’s got to … yeah she’s been a terrific filly for our stable,” Alchin said.

You can listen to the full interview with Jarrod Alchin on Episode 11 of The Sprint Lane by clicking here.

From HRNSW Media