AFTER finishing a good second to the talented Alacrann in the prestigious Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes last Boxing Day, Ali Baba (Fearless Vision – Ahwhofah by Royal Minister) returned on Saturday last in a Restricted Allowance event for native-bred three-year-olds, non-winners of two that included imported three-year-olds and upward maidens going 1,500 metres.

The race provided an opportunity to assess the progress of the bay colt and Ali Baba responded with a notable performance which must have pleased trainer Wayne DaCosta and his owner Winston Kong. Ali Baba won handily by just over two lengths in a good time of 1:31.1 minutes behind splits of 23:3 and 47:1 and 1:12:0 minutes.

With Robert Halledeen doing the riding honours, Ali Baba challenged stablemate Seeking My Dream (Paul Francis) for the lead turning for home. With Seeking My Dream refusing to give up, Ali Baba had to work very hard and proved the stronger of the two, powering home to open his three-year-old career in fine fashion.

“The time was fast but the track was also fast on the day. Nevertheless, it was a good performance by Alia Baba. It was a much-improved run. He beat another horse of mine (Seeking My Dream) who beat the rest of the field by 11 lengths. It is much too early to make any predictions, but Alia Baba ran very well last Saturday,” DaCosta told the Complete Racing Guide.

When asked about the upcoming Classic races, DaCosta was very guarded in his response.

“Alacrann has already placed his credentials on the table. He is a good horse while Siempre Bueno is another talented one, but we are yet to see if he can go long. Whatever it is and how it plays out we are looking at very interesting Classic races to come,” DaCosta said.

– Ruddy Allen