Alabama Express Shines in C.F. Orr Stakes

Paul Moroney, who identified impressive Neds C.F. Orr Stakes (G1) winner Alabama Express as a yearling, believes the 3-year-old is the stallion prospect New Zealand desperately needs.

But the bloodstock agent admits Alabama Express, who is trained by his brother Mike Moroney, may go beyond the price reach of his home country's leading studs if the Redoute's Choice colt continues his rapid progression throughout the campaign.

Owned by a syndicate that includes Arrowfield Stud, Alabama Express—a listed winner in October who landed a Flemington handicap on his return last month—increased his value exponentially with a first group 1 success in the AU$500,000 feature at Caulfield.

"Before we bought him, if he made the reserve and we got him, Arrowfield said they would keep a leg," Paul Moroney told ANZ Bloodstock News of the colt he picked up for AU$280,000 (US$215,488) at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2018.

"They honored their agreement and they are now in the driving seat as far as a stallion career is concerned. Whether they need another son of Redoute's Choice, who knows? They probably can't get enough of them.

"Personally, I would like to see him stand in New Zealand. I think he's ideal for New Zealand right now and I'd love to put a partnership together and get him there and include Arrowfield in it."

Commenting on the suitability of Alabama Express for New Zealand, Moroney added: "John Messara (Arrowfield Stud principal and author of the Messara Report) has been a backer of the New Zealand industry recently and the industry at home is struggling a little bit.

"A cracking colt like this would do the New Zealanders the world of good. But the numbers are big—he's worth a lot of money after today—and it's just whether New Zealand can weather the storm of standing a colt like him."

Ridden by Michael Dee, AU$11 chance Alabama Express came with a sustained late surge down the outside of the 12-runner field to fend off Fierce Impact by a neck, with a further head back to Kings Will Dream in third in the 1,400-meter (seven furlong) contest.

A jubilant Paul Moroney made comparisons with Alabama Express' sire when discussing why the colt was so highly-prized as a youngster. 

"He was almost a mirror-image of his dad. He had so much quality about him and, to be fair, we were actually quite surprised we could buy him," Moroney said.

"He clearly escaped a few other people at the sale —we thought he was our number one colt and we were hell-bent on getting him, if he could fit into the right price range."

"We thought at $280,000 he was a very good buy. We thought we got him for unders and we were quite surprised." 

Having described yesterday's success as a "huge thrill," Moroney believes the future is bright for Alabama Express. 

"I'd be very surprised if there isn't (more to come)," he said. "He's very lightly raced and he's untapped at this stage, really. He's improved as he's got older, but then again he had that setback (hock surgery) he had to get over, so his career was held-up.

"It's all ahead of him now and he's proven today he's right up there with the best current older horses at weight-for-age, at least in Victoria, and some of the opposition came from other parts of Australia.

"So it's onwards and upwards. He's a very talented horse from anywhere between 1,100 meters to 1,600 meters. He had the toughest run in the race today and I think it's a credit to his ability that he saw it out and forged to the line and held on."

Alabama Express has now won four of his seven starts for prize-money of AUS$534,750.

In winning yesterday, he became the 37th individual group 1 scorer for Redoute's Choice, who was euthanized last March at the age of 22. 

Alabama Express is one of four named foals, three of whom have raced and all of whom have won out of Lago Ovation, a once-raced daughter of Encosta de Lago (Fairy King) who herself is a half sister to the group 2-placed Rekindled Power (Redoute's Choice) and group 3 runner-up Shuffle Up (Redoute's Choice).

Alabama Express' second dam, Rekindled Applause (Royal Applause), was listed stakes-placed in Italy, while this is the family of four-time Hong Kong group 1 winner Designs On Rome (Holy Roman Emperor).