The Dream Macalister Team
25 May, 2016
Owners
Whispering Brook, Magnifisio, He Or She and Brisanto
Collectively four horses trained by different trainers in recent excellent form.
Individually they are raced by Alan MacAlister and his wife Birgit.
Whispering Brook completed a clean sweep of Perth’s juvenile races, culminating with victory in the richest and most prestigious race for two-year-olds: the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate.
Magnifisio, a Group One champion, has returned to take out two Listed races this campaign: the Sheila Gwynne Classic and Northam Stakes.
He Or She, now based in Melbourne with David Hayes and Tom Dabernig, won the Group 2 Blamey Stakes at Flemington.
Underrated galloper Brisanto continues to improve and at Belmont’s season-opening meeting she outpointed boom gelding, Vega Magic.
There is an adage in racing that if you get to own one good horse you should count yourself fortunate, so the MacAlister’s are certainly bucking the trend.
How are the husband and wife team enjoying their extraordinary run of success?
Alan summed it up best:
“You can’t wish for any better and they are the days you dream about,” Macalister said on Tabradio.
Aside from sharing the spoils of victory on race day the Macalister’s are enjoying a financial boost.
Whispering Brook is icing on the cake. The filly cost $45,000 and at the completion of her unbeaten maiden campaign she has netted $635,350 in prize money.
The daughter of Hinchinbrook is destined for a bright future and what heights she can scale will be determined on her return when she tackles a Melbourne campaign in the spring.
“I don’t know how far she can go, but she is a serious race horse,” Alan MacAlister said.
“Whatever work we give her she just cops it and takes more.
“We will soon see how serious a horse she is.
“She will go over east and be up against the best.
“She will tell us if she is as good as we think she is.”
Despite a rising seven-year-old Magnifisio continues to display a zest and appetite for her racing.
Macalister, after resisting significant buyer interest, has confirmed the mares’ short-term future.
“Every week I get a phone call with someone trying to buy her,” Alan MacAlister said.
“I was in a quandary whether I should sell her, breed or race her on.
“I sat down with the family and my wife said quite clearly we are keeping her.
“We are going to race her on because she is still up for it.”
MacAlister said He Or She would improve on his last-start when unplaced behind super mare Winx in the Doncaster at Randwick.
“He is better on faster grounds and will be hard to beat,” Macalister said.
Brisanto is the understudy to a star studded cast but there is no denying the bay filly who has emerged as a durable and consistent galloper, winning four races from 11 starts since her campaign commenced last December.
Alan and Birgit MacAlister, living the dream of horse ownership.
Julio Santarelli