Craig Lidster contemplates next step for Alfa Kellenic

Group targets await Craig Lidster’s “one in a million” filly Alfa Kellenic after she secured her sixth successive victory this year in the Ayr Silver Cup on Saturday.

The daughter of Havana Grey has had a remarkable campaign so far, losing her maiden status on the all-weather in January and then switching to turf in the summer.

Since then she has become a veritable winning machine, winning a further five times in a row whilst working her way through the handicap ranks into increasingly competitive company.

After a valuable success at York during the Ebor meeting she lined up at Ayr for the Silver Cup as the 9-2 favourite and once again came out on top, powering to a length-and-three-quarters win under 3lb-claimer William Pyle.

Lidster now has a step up grade in mind for the filly, who could head to France or stay closer to home in a bid to gain some black type.

“She’s such a tough individual, it’s phenomenal to have her in the yard. She has done us proud,” he said.

“She doesn’t show how good she is at home, it’s when she gets to the track that she comes alive.

“She makes everything very simple at home, she’s got a great mind about her and is just so straightforward.

“There are four races that we’re looking at, there’s a Listed fillies’ race at Newmarket in a couple of weeks (Boadicea Stakes, October 12), there’s a Group Three at Ascot coming up (Bengough Stakes, October 5) and there are two races at Chantilly – a Listed race and a Group Three.

“She’s definitely earned it from what she did in the Silver Cup, all day long, she ran against a lot of very good horses under top weight so credit where credit is due.

“She just put her head down and galloped to the line, I couldn’t be more proud of her.

“How she has conducted herself these last six runs has just been a testament to herself, she’s one in a million to me.”