A narrow winner when making her debut in the Moorundi Classic at Murray Bridge on October 7, the Alabama Express filly Karavas kept her record at a perfect two for two with a fast-finishing win in the Group III Darley Ottawa Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on Oaks Day.
Ridden by Jake Toeroek for Richard and Chantelle Jolly, Karavas was momentarily held up for a run as the erratic Too Darn Hot (GB) filly Arabian Summer and the $1.2million Exceed And Excel filly Eneeza singled out.
Once in clear air, Karavas lengthened impressively to defeat Eneeza by a length with Arabian Summer the same distance back in third.
Karavas was a $260,000 Inglis Premier purchase for her trainers from the Yulong draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Richard Jolly credited Neville Morgan for the purchase.
“She was a really athletic filly. Well muscled, always looked like she go early and here she is,” Jolly said.
“We paid a bit of money. I don’t usually spend that much, to be honest, but I had the backing of Neville Morgan, so that is where we’re at.
“It means a lot with these two-year-olds. Once they’ve had a start, you see many of them improve after that run (and) she won at Murray Bridge.
“The knockers, or people out there, disregard our form a little bit and good on them because she started at good odds.
“This girl is probably a bit more precocious (than See You In Heaven). In saying that, See You In Heaven went on to race well as a two-year-old, but she’s got out to a trip now where I feel this filly is going to be a sprinting type.
“We can put her away now and aim her at some nice races in the autumn.”
The daughter of Alabama Express is the first winner for All of Me, a winning half-sister by Pierro to Group winners Star of Giselle and Solicit from stakes-winner Princesa, a daughter of Group I winner Kapchat.
Yulong purchased All Of Me, in foal to Dundeel, for $260,000 off David Moodie’s Hesket Bloodstock at the 2020 Inglis Chairman's Sale.
All of Me has a yearling colt by Tagaloa and is due to foal again to him this spring.
A Group I winning son of Redoute’s Choice, Alabama Express has made an exciting start to his stallion career. Besides Karavas, he is the sire of the Kirkham Plate winner Shangri La Express and Accelar, who was nosed out by the unbeaten Devine Force when on debut at Eagle Farm on October 21.
