Alchol Free’s Journey To The Everest: Yuesheng Zhang’s Ambitious Pursuit

It's been an exciting journey for Alcohol Free, transitioning from the UK to Australia. In December 2022, Yuesheng Zhang, owner of Yulong Investment, went to 5.7 million in purchasing Alcohol Free at the Newmarket Sales. The plan with her is to run in The Everest at Randwick before she retires to the paddocks to produce the next generation of Yulong stars.  

And we were honoured that Yuesheng Zhang found the time to sit down with us to discuss the ex-Andrew Balding-trained mare. 

"There are three reasons for choosing to buy Alcohol Free. First, I hope to introduce more excellent mares and constantly enrich the high-quality mare numbers for Yulong. Second, Alcohol Free's mother, Plying, is also in Yulong. Third, Alcohol Free is a very good, sharp racing mare - our team thought could run better in Australia." 

Despite that, Zhang is a little less vocal about the chance that Alcohol Free has to win The Everest. "Australia's short-distance horses are very strong - there are many good horses. Although Alcohol Free has a good record in the European short distance - the chance to win is limited."   

It is a legitimate concern. Europe has seen a string of Australian sprinters head to the likes of Royal Ascot to win, but it is very rare to see it happen the other way around. Longer trips are where the European runners excel against their Australian counterparts. 

Alchol Free’s Mixed Performence In Recent Races

Alcohol Free has a win in the July Cup at Newmarket to her credit over the 1200m distance she will run at Randwick. That was in July 2022, seen only twice since in race action, once in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and then in the Queen of the Turf at Randwick, both over 1600m.  

The latter was on her first start for Gai Waterhouse, sent off the favourite, she was beaten eight lengths in 10th. She had travelled beautifully to the home turn and looked like she had a winning chance 400m out, but she folded disappointingly under pressure.  

While that was well below the level of her European form, Zhang is on the money when he says, "For a thoroughbred horse from the Northern Hemisphere, it will take a long process of acclimatisation to compete in the Southern Hemisphere." 

The timing of her first race in Australia will not have helped. It was her spring but the autumn for the rest of her rivals, already race-fit coming towards the end of the season, competing against a mare who was starting on her campaign. 

Almost six months have passed, and "Based on the trial run results, Alcohol Free seems to be adapting well." The decision on where she goes this prep will come "based on the feedback from her trainer and her performance in the next race." 

Yulong owns a slot in The Everest, a race for which Zhang has a lot of time. "The Everest is a very good opportunity to promote the development of the Australian racing industry. The influence of Australian horse racing in the world continues to increase - as a member of the industry, we will strongly support this race." 

Zhang goes on to say, "I think it is meaningful for Racing NSW to have such a great idea and put it into practice - the prize money keeps increasing, keep promoting the future, the development. I decided to buy a slot, and it now seems very successful."   

In Zhang's opinion, how are things different in Europe compared to Australia? "The horse racing culture in the UK and Ireland is rich and mature, and everyone pays more honour to the sense of the race, but the prize money is relatively low. Australian horse racing is in continuous development, with higher prize money and better commercialisation."  

In Zhang's opinion, the future of Australian breeding is strong. "In terms of horse breeding, Australia is close to the Asian market - it is more convenient for horses to be sold to Asia, this is to Australia's benefit."  

The Yulong operation blends the lines between Australia and Asia perfectly, with a little of Europe thrown into the mix. Will it be a recipe that cooks up a win in The Everest in October with Alcohol Free? Only time will tell, but there is no lack of desire from Zhang to "actively participate (and) promote the continuous development of Yulong." A win in a race as prestigious as The Everest would go a long way to help with that. 

By Dean McHugh