Trainer Ken Keys has been around horses long enough to know a good one, especially a youngster.
Not that many have gone through Keys’ hands, although he has high hopes for Alibaba who is set to make his debut in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday for the Ken and Kasey Keys stable.
Keys’ first good two-year-old was Saloon Rule, who ironically won the Merson Cooper in 1988, and would later start favourite in the Blue Diamond Stakes, only to bomb the start and finish last.
The son of Alabama Express, Alibaba has shown Keys immense talent right from the time he entered his stable and is right up there with his best youngsters, including Saloon Rule.
“Not that we’ve had many, but of the ones we’ve had, he’s right up there,” Keys said.
“Once you’ve had one good two-year-old, you know what is required. We’ve had a lot that aren’t her (Saloon Rule), but he’s up there.
“He’s pretty natural, and I don’t want to build him up too far, but when you see him, you’ll go ‘wow’, he’s one of those horses.”
Alibaba won a jump-out at Cranbourne in September and was given a breather post that performance before being taken to the Caulfield Heath trials last week where he was successful.
Keys said he had again considered giving Alibaba a break.
“Originally, I was planning on putting him out after the trial, but I went and sat in the tractor for the rest of the afternoon, and I had too much time to think,” Keys said.
“The Merson Cooper has produced nice horses for a long time, I don’t know why, and I’m hoping, the good ones up until now, will be enjoying their spring break.”
Previous Merson Cooper winners have included Palm Angel (2025), Little Brose (2022), Anamoe (2020), Hanseatic (2019), Long Leaf (2019), Thurlow (2014), Marveen (2007), and Freestyle (2004).
One thing Keys wants to see on Saturday is an improvement in Alibaba’s mounting yard antics when jockey Craig Williams climbs aboard.
“He did a few things wrong in the mounting yard the other day, he was a bit naughty, so who knows what his manners are going to be like, but on the track, he was good,” Keys said.
“It’s good when you think what you’ve got, and Craig gives you a similar report.”
While looking forward to seeing Alibaba on the track Keys is not getting too far ahead of himself.
Alibaba was not nominated for the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield in February but holds an entry for the Golden Slipper at Rosehill in March.
“I didn’t enter him in the Diamond, as you don’t know back in June, but he’s in the Golden Slipper, so who knows,” Keys said.
“That’s part of the dream.”
