Alabama Express in demand
Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) delivered a powerful statement at Karaka on Monday, producing two major results inside a ten-minute window as demand for the Yulong Stud sire peaked in the ring.
The headline act of his five sellers came in the shape of Lot 383, an imposing colt consigned by Elsdon Park who was knocked down to KPW Bloodstock for $850,000, marking the most expensive sale-ring result to date for Alabama Express.
Purchased by Kevin ‘Millie’ Walls on behalf of prominent Australian owners Ron and Judy Wanless, the colt is the first foal out of the winning Tivaci (High Chaparral) mare Diva Carolina and hails from the family of Listed winner and Group 1 placegetter Ombre Rose (O’Reilly).
“He stood out. He’s a very nice horse,” Walls said. “We buy purely on type and I rated him one of the best types in the sale. And once Ron starts, he tries hard.
“We’ve paid a bit more for one or two before, but [Ron] loves the game, loves the racing – it’s his hobby and his passion. They love their horses, love their racing, he’s been in the game a long time and most other games too.
“This horse will definitely end up in Australia. He has the VOBIS bonus, so no doubt he’ll go to Melbourne.”
Yulong Stud’s COO Sam Fairgray said the result reflected Alabama Express’ growing commercial appeal, following strong demand across both sides of the Tasman.
“He’s had some fantastic results,” he told ANZ News. “We saw it at the Gold Coast too, he’s in high demand and he leaves a very nice type.”
The timing of the result added further momentum, coming just days after Alabama Express’ son Alibaba captured the Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) (Listed, 1000m) at Caulfield.
“He had the two-year-old stakes winner at Caulfield on Saturday, so he’s doing a great job,” Fairgray added. “He leaves a good physical and it’s great to see the results that he’s achieving in the sales ring.”
Elsdon Park general manager Kerrie Cox was delighted with the outcome, praising the colt’s physical presence and professionalism throughout the sale.
“On type, the colt simply blew potential buyers away,” she told ANZ News. “He’s a jaw dropper, you’d struggle to find a better mover, plus he has a good brain and he knows his job.
“He was never in his box as he did so many parades but never missed a beat. He may be a first foal but in the end buyers are looking for an athlete, a racehorse.
“All the credit for his appearance is due to our yearling manager Yvonne Shanks. Yvonne has bags of experience and is at the coal face of our operation, she taught me well when she was my boss at Waikato Stud.”
Alabama Express had also featured prominently earlier in the session, namely when Elsdon Park’s filly out of Daniela’s Magic, an unraced daughter of Per Incanto (Street Cry), realised $490,000 after a successful bid from Suman Hedge Bloodstock.
Daniela’s Magic has already produced a stakes performer, with her son Panic (Time Test) victorious in the South Pacific Classic (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick, further underpinning the appeal of the family and rounding out a standout passage of selling for Alabama Express at Karaka.
All told, the son of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) finished Book 1 with an aggregate of $1,790,000 and an average of $358,000, which saw him finish third in the sires table by that metric.