Alyssa, whose stakes winning second dam is a half-sister to Hemel ‘N Aarde’s resident sire Alado, scored a courageous victory in Thursday’s G2 DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster –a race long known as the “fillies St Leger”.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, the daughter of Sir Percy was quickly to the front tracked by Aljezeera and it was that rival who gave her most to think about inside the last quarter mile as the closerslined up behind. Headed by the Al Shaqab representative for a couple of strides in the last furlong, she was spurred on by the presence of stablemate Melodic Motion on her right and gave extra to regain the advantage close home.

Sent off a 25-1 chance Alyssa, scoring the first group victory of her career, went on to score her fifth win (from just 11 starts) by half a length from Frankel filly Aljezeera, with another well related filly Melodic Motion, stable mate to the winner, dead-heating for second place.

Her previous wins had included last year’s Listed londonmetric Noel Murless Stakes, where Alyssa (who beat just two home in the Park Hill 12 months earlier) accounted for Fireglow by a nose.

The four-year-old is out of the Galileo mare Almiranta, whose dam Alvarita won the Listed Prix Petite Etoile.

Third dam, the dual G1 Champion Stakes winning Alborada, is the dam of Cape sire Alado, who stands in the Hemel ‘N Aarde valley.

Alado, a son of Danzig, is the sire of promising 3yo Apollo Star, a winner of two of his last three starts, with his last victory coming at the expense of the highly regarded Cot Campbell.