Alabama Lass Melbourne-bound After King’s G3 Plate Romp

Breednet - Saturday March 8

Ken and Bev Kelso bought Alabama Lass in Melbourne as a yearling two years ago, and a stunning performance in Saturday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie has them plotting a return.

Alabama Lass winning Saturday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

The $250,000 sprint feature on Champions Day was a rematch of the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) in January, where Crocetti defeated Alabama Lass by a short head. Alabama Lass had a weight swing in her favour on Saturday and jumped as a $1.70 favourite to turn the tables, and she delivered in style.

Alabama Lass broke sharply from the gates, went straight to the lead and never gave her five rivals a look in. Jockey Sam Spratt put the pedal to the floor at the home turn and Alabama Lass exploded clear, opening up a winning margin of five and a quarter lengths over Crocetti. Alabama Lass stopped the clock at 1:10.46.

Advertisement

“It was just such a shame that it rained for the Railway last time,” Spratt said. “If that rain hadn’t come, I’m pretty sure she would have done something similar there and would probably have won that race too. But it was a super effort today.

“I just tried to cuddle her up as long as I could. She just travelled so well, and even though she’s skipping along quite fast, she’s doing it so easily. I just cuddled her up and then pressed the button in the straight.”

Alabama Lass became the fourth three-year-old to win the King’s Plate in the last 20 years, joining Jazzella (2007), Martini Red (2008) and Sword Of State (2022).

Alabama Lass has now had eight starts for five wins, three seconds and $609,750 in stakes – an outstanding return on her A$120,000 yearling price in Melbourne. Her three-year-old season has seen her win the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), alongside second placings in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Railway.

“I’m very proud of her,” Ken Kelso said on Saturday. “She’s a beautiful filly, a little gem.

“We’ve always known she was capable of something like this. She was just unlucky to strike rain-affected tracks in those Group One placings in her last two starts. Take nothing away from the horses that beat her in those races, but the rain just dulled her sprint a little bit. Today was a different story.

“We’ll look at taking her across to Melbourne now, where there’s a three-year-old race over 1100m later in the month. It’s just a Listed race, but it would be good to pick up a bit of black type over there if we can.”

That race is the A$500,000 HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic (1100m) at Flemington on March 29.

Despite having to settle for second behind Alabama Lass in the King’s Plate, Crocetti picked up the five points he needed to win the $300,000 bonus prize for topping the table in the Sport Nation Champion Sprint Series. He finished with 15 points, which puts him just ahead of Alabama Lass and Here To Shock on 12.

By Richard Edmunds
LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.

Advertisment

Race Result - Haunui Farm Kings Plate Gr3 1200m

Ellerslie Track: Soft(5) Time: 1:10.46
1
Alabama Lass
- 3f Alabama Express (AUS) x Tabliope (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: K & B Kelso Rdr: S C Spratt 53
Inglis Premier Yearling Sale $120,000
Seller: Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds, Avenel
Buyer: Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock / K Kelso
2
5.3
Crocetti
- 4g Zacinto (GB) x Gracehill (NZ) (O'reilly (NZ))
Tnr: Danny Walker & Arron Tata Rdr: W B Kennedy 58
3
6.1
Sacred Satono
- 5h Satono Aladdin (JPN) x Belle Joie (NZ) (Mellifont (USA))
Tnr: B Wallace & G Cooksley Rdr: M J Mc Nab 56
NZB Karaka Book 2 $34,000
Seller: Rich Hill Stud
Buyer: Wallace Thoroughbreds
4
6.2
Babylon Berlin
- 7m All Too Hard (AUS) x You Can't Say That (AUS) (Fusaichi Pegasus (USA))
Tnr: Ben & Ryan Foote Rdr: V A Colgan 54
5
6.7
Midnight Edition
- 3g Wrote (IRE) x Midnight Gossip (NZ) (Showcasing (GB))
Tnr: B S Wallbank Rdr: C J Grylls 54
6
6.9
Oh No No No
- 7m Showcasing (GB) x Rattle And Hum (NZ) (Don Eduardo (NZ))
Tnr: K G Harrison Rdr: Tayla Mitchell 53
More Reading...
100th National Yearling Sale to Debut New Format
Karaka 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the National Yearling Sales in New Zealand, a significant milestone to celebrate.
Alabama Lass Wins G2 Soliloquy
Saturday’s Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) raised as many questions as it answered in terms of the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), but the one thing the Ellerslie feature proved is the star quality of Alabama Lass.
Alabama Lass Returns to Victoria
Two years after buying Alabama Lass from a Melbourne yearling sale, Matamata trainer Ken Kelso is retracing those steps to find out how the brilliant filly measures up across the Tasman.
$650,000 Stay Inside Filly Sets New Record at Inglis Weanling Sale
A new record price for the Australian Weanling Sale was set at Riverside today when a Stay Inside x Sheidel filly offered by Noorilim Park sold for $650,000.
One to Watch – Curragh
He’s a Coolmore homebred blueblood, but sired by Darley’s champion stallion Dubawi and Officer opened his stakes account overnight at The Curragh winning the Listed Tetrarch Stakes (1m).
One to Watch – Kembla
Group I ATC Champagne Stakes winner Nepotism is not the only talented two year-old winner by Brutal this season that was bred and sold by Gilgai Farm.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday May 6
Here is the full list of 30 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Widden Stud Sell $775,000 Too Darn Hot Colt
Widely tipped as a likely sale-topper at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, the Widden Stud consigned Too Darn Hot (GB) colt from Enbihaar did not disappoint when fetching $775,000.
Kiwi Raider Alabama Lass Wins Listed World Pool Classic Sprint
Yulong based Alabama Express was expected to have G1 success on Saturday with his glamour filly Treasurethe Moment in the Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill, but with that meeting postponed due to the weather it was left to Alabama Lass to fly the flag.
Records Tumble at Huge Australian Weanling Sale
The most successful Inglis Australian Weanling Sale in history concluded at Riverside today with a record individual top price of $775,000 paid for a colt by Too Darn Hot (GB), a record gross and record average.