3 minute read

Alabama Express becomes Group 1 winner number 37 for Redoute’s Choice

Three-year-old Alabama Express (3 c ex Lago Ovation by Encosta De Lago) sprung a surprise in the CF Orr Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday and in the process emulated his sire Redoute's Choice (Danehill), who also won the race as a three-year-old in 2000, handing the late the Arrowfield stallion his 37th Group 1 winner.

The colt becomes the latest star from an outstanding three-year-old crop that has yielded other weight-for-age winners Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), who won the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), last weekend's Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) Standout (Exceed And Excel) and super-fast Everest (1200m) winner Yes Yes Yes (Rubick). 

The only three-year-old to line up in the Group 1, Alabama Express overcame the toughest run in an emphatic display under jockey Michael Dee.

After sitting three-wide in a genuinely run race, Alabama Express defeated Fierce Impact (Deep Impact) by a long neck with Kings Will Dream (Casamento) another nose away in third.

Bred by Jonathan Munz's GSA Bloodstock, the colt was purchased by Paul Moroney for $280,000 at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and he was delighted with Saturday's result. 

"It's a great result, a wonderful thing. He was a gorgeous colt when we bought him here at Easter at Riverside, he was my standout for the sale and Mike saw him and just went 'wow'," said Moroney.  

"We just wondered if we'd have enough money to buy him but we got him and it's all worked out well. He's now a Group 1-winning colt by Redoute's Choice and worth a heck of a lot of money as a result. It's a nice position to be in. It's why you buy these Classic-looking colts by the right stallions. 

"This one looks as though it worked. If you get it right there's a lot of money out there for it. It's a huge result. It secures the future not only for the horse but the ongoing business of the stable. We'll celebrate tonight, overcome it tomorrow and look at what happens next on Monday!

"He's a very very good colt. He's got a lot of speed, he had the hardest run of the race today but he kicked on and went right through the line," he said. 

"He's co-owned by Arrowfield so he's probably got a home there any day he wants one but there's a lot of other studs out there that would love to have him as well. I know we've already had a lot of interest in him from New Zealand pre this race today. Arrowfield obviously have the front running but do they need another son of Redoute's Choice? Maybe they do after Not A Single Doubt was retired recently but it will all be worked out between the owners and Arrowfield. It's a nice position to be in."

Redoute's Choice died last year, but John Messara said there was a lot more to come from the stallion and he will continue to shape the breed in many years to come. 

"It means so much to us to see this beautiful colt win the Orr today, the same race his sire Redoute's Choice won as a three-year-old almost exactly 20 years ago," said Messara.

"This final stage of Redoute's Choice's career as a sire is proving to be the most exciting time of all and there's so much still to come with his progeny, and of course, his sire sons and broodmare daughters.

"Great credit to Mike Moroney to get this result, we're absolutely delighted for him and thrilled to be part of the ownership, along with his breeder Jonathan Munz and Rupert and Cheryl Legh. The icing on the cake is that Alabama Express becomes Arrowfield's 13th Group 1-winning Easter graduate since 2013, something we're all extremely proud of."

Alabama Express has won four of his seven career starts which has seen him accumulate $534,750 in career prize-money. 

The colt is out of Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) mare Lago Ovation, who is herself a half-sister to Group 2-placed Rekindled Power (Redoute's Choice) and Group 3-placed Shuffle Up (Redoute's Choice). 

Further back this is family of Group 2 winner Rekindled Interest (Redoute's Choice), Group 3 winner Where We Left Off (Dr Devious) and Listed scorer Porticcio (Lomitas). 

The Redoute's Choice / Encosta De Lago cross has yielded nine stakes winners and Alabama Express becomes the third top-flight scorer for the cross joining Peeping and Musir, while the colt becomes Encosta De Lago's 13th Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire.