Out of the Commands mare Tabliope, Alabama Lass hails from a strong black-type family. Her dam has already produced multiple winners, including Group 3-placed Bad ‘N’ Bouj and four-time winner Palladas, while the pedigree traces back to Group 2-winning mare Seika.
Since her debut, Alabama Lass has been remarkably consistent, notching five wins and three seconds from eight starts and accumulating over NZD$600,000 in prizemoney. Her most recent victory, a front-running display in the Group 3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate at Ellerslie, reinforced her class. Jockey Sam Spratt was full of praise:
“She just travelled so well ... I just cuddled her up and then pressed the button in the straight.”
That performance has paved the way for an Australian campaign. “We’ll look at taking her across to Melbourne now for a three-year-old race over 1100m later in the month,”
The race in question is the AUD$500,000 HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic (1100m) at Flemington on TAB Australian Cup Day, Saturday, March 29.
The Kelsos are no strangers to success at Flemington. In 2023, their star mare Legarto became the first New Zealand-trained horse to win the Australian Guineas, a triumph that further confirmed their standing as elite trainers. Legarto returned to Australia in 2024 to contest the TAB Australian Cup, testing herself against seasoned weight-for-age gallopers. While she didn’t win, her performance showed her class and adaptability.
