ALABAMA EXPRESS MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

The Carbine Club Stakes on Derby day is next for Alabama Express following his courageous win at Caulfield on Saturday.

Having pressed the leader Hilo to the home turn, Alabama Express dug in for the fight before asserting his authority in the run to the line to land the Gothic Stakes (Listed) over 1400m by a head.

Mike Moroney has always held feature race aspirations for the son of Redoute’s Choice but has had to be patient.

“He had his season return delayed by surgery to a hind leg and further delayed recovering from an elevated temperature - but we’ve always thought extremely highly of him,” Moroney said.

“We really thought he was going to be good enough to go to Queensland and have a crack at the Group One two-year-old races, but we had to stop and do an operation onone of his hocks.

"For that reason it took a while before we could get him back and then he got a temperature.

"Little things were going wrong with him and we had to rush him a bit, then he didn't quite get the right draws in races, but we always thought he was group class."

Moroney said Alabama Express would head to the Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 2 and the Sandown Guineas a fortnight later.

"I can't see why he won't see out the 1600 metres, he was certainly strong through the line here today" Moroney said. "He's a really nice colt, a gorgeous type of horse and now he’s a stakes winning son of a champion sire with a big future.”

Alabama Express was a Paul Moroney yearling purchase at the Inglis Australian yearling for $280,000 and is the 167th stakes winner for his champion sire.

Congratulations to his owners, R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd, Arrowfield Pastoral Pty Ltd, B & C Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd, Mr L Petagna, Mr D C Morison and Ballymore Stables (Aust) Pty Ltd.