Our series continues with Alpha Delphini, the former Bryan Smart-trained gelding who landed a 40-1 shock in the 2018 Nunthorpe Stakes before becoming one of York’s social media equine ambassadors – among plenty of other things
Five-furlong sprinters are the drag-racers of the sport, all about the one-dimensional virtue of straight-line speed. One might think that such a virtue would be a vice when it came to retraining for a second career, but the example of Alpha Delphini turns perceived wisdom on its head. He can do anything, and does.
“It’s all about finding new and interesting ways to entertain him,” says Emma Chapman, his guardian, his keeper, his new best friend. “It’s about his mind not his body, working his brain, thinking outside the box to keep one step ahead of him. He’s such a clever horse and thinks he can do anything.”
It was often a struggle to stay one step ahead of Alpha Delphini – now known as ‘Alf’, naturally – on the racecourse. The late bloomer’s finest hour came at York in August 2018 when he upset the applecart at 40-1 in an incredibly close finish to the prestigious Nunthorpe Stakes, his margin of victory at the end of the G1 contest a pixel or two rather than the official ‘nose’.
Chapman has a long-standing connection with Alf’s trainer Bryan Smart and his wife Vicky, working with the stable on various equine behavioural issues. Alf moved to her yard near Bedale, North Yorkshire in September 2021, although he is still owned by the Smarts.
Fast learner
He immediately put his sharp mind to work, although not always to best effect. “He is a very fast learner, of good things and bad,” says Chapman, a trainer of young horses, instructor of riders, a Western riding expert.
“He soon learned which members of staff he can wind round whatever horses have as a little finger, soon worked out the squeak that the feed door makes. And sometimes he thinks he knows what to do before he knows it properly, so then it’s a question of putting the brake on and calming him down.
“Nothing surprises him, because he’s sure he can cope. He’s very self-confident. And one thing I’ve noticed from working with ex-racehorses is that the ones who were very good have so much more grit, edge about them. You can really work with them if you can get their minds on-side.”
The path forward for Alf now involves turning him on to whatever might take his fancy and turning him off again when the prospect begins to pall, when his mind has moved on to something else.
He ponies some of the younger horses around, has done a bit of dressage, has shown a talent for jumping and enjoys cross-country, but soon lets Chapman know when his mood has changed.
“He needs to do lots of different things,” she says. “He doesn’t see the point in cantering in circles for 20 minutes, so to keep his mind relaxed we use different terrains, ten minutes of this or that and then a few jumps, anything to break it up.
“Hacking is one of his favourite pastimes, and one evening I even rode him over to the local pub – the Bay Horse, very apt and colour-coordinated – and he was very patient while we had a drink outside.
Big softie
“He loves going to the beach, and I’m sure he could still break a minute for five furlongs – but then I see him in the field playing with the foals, chasing and racing, and the foal will always beat him. He’s a big softie, really, he has bundles of character.”
The slow-burning Alpha Delphini didn’t make his debut until the late autumn of his three-year-old campaign and didn’t get off the mark in stakes until the age of five. His Nunthorpe score was his only victory at Group level, and it gave Smart one of the great days of his training career.
“He’s been a wonderful horse throughout his career, always nice to train,” said Smart when announcing Alpha Delphini’s retirement from racing. “He was trained all year for the Nunthorpe, we had him in the best form of his life, and he did us all proud on what was a truly amazing day for us all.”
The heft of that big-race success led to Alf becoming one of York racecourse’s team of equine ambassadors, not appearing at the track but putting on a show on social media to boost both the track’s profile and the increasing awareness of the potential housed in former racehorses.
Britain’s game-plan for its ex-racers is the Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) scheme, backed by heavyweight organisations such as the Jockey Club, Tattersalls and Godolphin.
It has developed considerable traction among both racing professionals and potential owners, and Chapman – for whom Alf is just one of many ex-racehorses she has helped redirect into a fulfilling life after racing – recognises its fundamental importance.
“The greatest benefit of the RoR scheme is the support they provide to new owners of former racehorses,” she says. “It has become a huge network of shared experience, with help available at every stage of a horse’s redevelopment.
“I love seeing ex-racehorses I’ve worked with at their new homes, going on to be happy and successful at whatever comes next for them.”
Permanent pal
Alf, though, is staying put. He is not a project to be passed on to someone else but a permanent pal for Chapman, who has the requisite variety of activities lined up to keep his mind occupied and interested this summer.
“We’ll be doing some pony club demonstrations, some dressage, some hunter trials, a bit of cross-country – he’s a very good jumper, very bold,” she says.
“He will compete, do a range of things, but it’s not about deciding what he’s going to be, it’s about finding the right thing for him as we progress. Competitions are fun, but the best times I’ve had with Alf have been just me and him at the beach.
“He doesn’t mind the offshore wind turbines, he doesn’t mind the kite-surfers, there can be a lot going on but he loves it there, and when he’s enjoying himself I can really feel all that sprinter power beneath the saddle.”
A one-dimensional Alpha Delphini has mellowed in his second act, now a ‘renaissance horse’ named Alf with a multi-dimensional outlook on life. But in his quieter moments you’ll still find him at the head of affairs, Alf the alpha male.
“He’s out in a 15-acre field now, among a herd of eight or nine,” says Chapman. “And make no mistake, he’s leader of the pack, king of the hill. He’s living his best life.”
• Visit the Retraining of Racehorses website and the York Racecourse website
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