Time to get on board the Alabama Express

MIKE Moroney is confident Alabama Express sits at the top of the tree in his age group and believes he can prove that in next Saturday’s $1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Moroney is happy to take on the two boom geldings, in Queenslander Alligator Blood and Kiwi Catalyst, plus Anthony Freedman’s Chenier, Perth raider Superstorm, Dalasan and Soul Patch.

Moroney said he considered running Alabama Express in the Futurity Stakes on Saturday as he had won the Orr Stakes which was also a Group 1 over 1400m at Caulfield but he wanted to stick to their original plan.

Moroney said the Australian Guineas was always in his plans.

“We set a program for him and couldn’t see any reason to change.

“We really want to see where he sits with the threeyear-olds.

“We’ve got a Group 1 on our mantelpiece against the older horses, now we want one against his own age,” Moroney said.

“We’re pretty confident we’re up to it.

“His improvement has been quite big.

“He was behind the eightball and now he’s caught up.

“He’s improved a lot since the spring and he had to but the question is just how much he’s improved to get to them.”

Moroney said he always thought the son of Redoute’s

Choice was a Group 1 performer from early in his track career.

“As a two-year-old we were going to attack Group 1 races but things went wrong.

“We had to stop and do a little operation.

“In the spring he caught a cold and things went wrong and it was enough to stop him getting to Group 1 level.”

If Alabama Express runs well in the Australian Guineas it would be almost certain he’d be offered a wildcard into the All-Star Mile.