Alexander takes aim at Byerley Handicap with promising Maurice filly Notified

It may be a fair jump in class to go from a Ballarat Synthetic maiden success to landing a prestigious handicap at Flemington, but that is exactly what the Archie Alexander-trained Notified (Maurice) will be bidding to produce when she heads to Headquarters on Saturday.

With only five runners being nominated for the 1800-metre contest named after the legendary Bylerley Turk, who is regarded as one of the three male progenitors of the modern thoroughbred alongside the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian, Notified comes into the race as the sole winner.

Starting out life with a fifth-placed effort over 1200 metres on the Ballarat Synthetic, the juvenile daughter of Maurice (Screen Hero) then returned to that surface to land a 1500-metre maiden by 0.8 lengths from Flying Capital (Capitalist) and will be racing just a fortnight on from that success.

“She’s had a very easy time of it, this race is quite a quick turnaround for a two-year-old normally but she’s had two runs and both have been at Ballarat on the synthetic surface so both have been very non-taxing runs,” Ballarat-based Alexander told ANZ News.

“She’s had one gallop in between the runs so we don’t really know where she measures up yet, but I do think there are a lot of positives going in.

“It’s a unique kind of race really, it’s a small field. The thing that gives me a lot of hope is that if you’re breaking it down on pedigrees, I’m surprised that a lot of these horses are by sprinters or milers and we’re the only one that should be getting over this trip on this ground as a two-year-old. 

“Without knowing the other rivals’ form or how they are, there doesn’t look to be a real stayer amongst them on the pedigrees. We’re also the only winner in the race currently which is always encouraging.”

Having broken her maiden last time out on July 7, Alexander admits that this weekend’s $150,000 event was not in the calendar until very recently.

“No it wasn’t the plan at all, she just won and there aren’t many two-year-old races left, especially over a bit more ground, so I’d say win, lose or draw she’ll go for a freshen-up after Saturday before the spring,” Alexander said.

“I don’t think we’ll keep going with her [after the weekend], this wasn’t the plan initially but we said we’d nominate and have a look and when there’s only five runners then it becomes a realistic target.”

By six-time elite-level-winning stallion Maurice, Notified is a half-sister to 1300-metre winner Boncapo (Street Boss) being out of 1350-metre winner Bonanova’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice), who is herself out of the 1999 Emirates Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bonanova (Star Way).

Ridden by Harry Coffey for her last-start win, the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m)-winning jockey will again be aboard this weekend and despite Alexander having stamina doubts about Notified’s rivals, he is not expecting Coffey to make it an extreme test.

“Not necessarily [on leading], I think she’s quite a green horse still and I think coming off the synthetic track and racing away from home in her first trip away, I’d rather her have a lead and take her time,” the trainer added.

“But I can say I’ll be shocked if at the 1800 [metres] she’s knocking up, I think she’ll be solid. Stamina seems to be her strength.”

One of Notified’s rivals will be the Shane Nichols-trained Delahra (Doubtland), who has run fifth over 1125 metres and second last time out over 1300 metres at Sandown-Lakeside.

The $20,000 Inglis Premier purchase is by Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Doubtland (Not A Single Doubt) and out of a Cape Blanco (Galileo) mare, a line that sees her a granddaughter of dual Derby winner Galileo (Sadler’s Wells).

“It’s always a test when you step a two-year-old up to 1800 [metres], but she is out of a Cape Blanco mare, who’s a Galileo-line stallion,” Nichols, who trains in partnership with Hayden Black, said.

“There’s a bit of stoutness on a female pedigree and I did feel looking at her physically that she looked like she’ll get a trip.

“I’m not thinking she’s a definite to target an Oaks or anything like that, but I feel she physically looks like a filly that’s going to appreciate a bit of ground being a big-striding, big, rangy filly.”

Notified, meanwhile, was purchased for a little more than the $20,000 of Delahra, going the way of Alexander and Rogers Bloodstock for a fee of $125,000 at the 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

“She was a rangey, scopey sort that just needed a bit of time,” Alexander said of her purchase. “I like Maurice and this is the same cross as Hitotsu. I think he’s a very, very good sire and we liked her as a staying type. 

“She wasn’t precocious so I’m actually surprised that she’s already won a race and we’re going to Flemington as a two-year-old, albeit a back-end two-year-old, but I thought she’d be more of a three-year-old filly.”

Looking ahead to the filly’s three-year-old campaign, the Byerley Handicap does provide the respective winner a ballot exemption into either the VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) on October 31 or VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) on November 5, although Alexander admits a crack at Group 1 company is a way off yet.

“Look we’re a long way off that with ability and time, a lot can go wrong between now and then, but you would think that’s the path,” he said.

“Running over 1800 [metres] now as a juvenile she should get the distance over time, but we’ve currently only won a Ballarat Synthetic maiden so a long way yet.”

Alexander was speaking to ANZ from Hong Kong, where he had been staying with Wednesday’s Happy Valley hat-trick hero and fellow Englishman David Eustace, while his yard back home was racking up the winners.

“Yeah we’ve been flying, think I might just stay here! We’ve had a good week, three winners, a second, a third and a fourth so only one missed the money,” he said.

“We’ve done a great job and hence why I’m here, because I have a very good team at home and they’re more than capable of doing it without me so it’s been nice to have a little break. 

“I also went to the Japanese yearling sales too and saw the Northern Farm training centres and trackwork there so it’s been a working holiday with horses and sales every day, meeting some owners, but it’s been a good trip.”