The Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) steals the show in Melbourne this Saturday and the final field and barriers are locked in for the two-year-old’s feature.
Blue Diamond Prelude winner Barber is chasing the double in the Group 1 on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Godolphin-raced Prelude winning colt Barber is the juvenile to beat currently sitting top of the Blue Diamond Stakes odds at race sponsor Ladbrokes paying $5 to do the double for the first time since Written By (2018).
The undefeated son of Exceed And Excel was excellent in the spring winning back-to-back Sydney races include the $1 million Golden Gift.
Barber retuned a winner in his first Victorian run a fortnight back winning the boys’ Prelude over 1100m at Hillside ahead of his shot over the six furlongs at the Sandown Lakeside track on the weekend.
Jockey Jamie Kah continues her association with the Blue Diamond favourite and the duo are set to jump from barrier nine.
Trainer James Cummings launches a three-pronged attack on this year’s Blue Diamond Stakes field also saddling-up last start winners Zulfiqar and Exploring from barriers 15 and 13 respectively.
Ben Melham rides $15 pop Zulfiqar with the fellow Exceed And Excel colt sure to appreciate a drop in weight after carrying 59kg to victory fresh in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m).
Craig Williams has the mount on in-form Brazen Beau filly Exploring who has been excellent in her three runs including a winning debut at Flemington on New Year’s Day, her close fourth in the Preview and then Prelude win in the girls’ race on February 11 ahead of the big one.
There are two other last start winners in the Blue Diamond line-up this season with Chris Bieg‘s Adelaide visitor Dubenenko in gate 11 paying 70/1 and the better fancied Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained The Instructor ($9).
Russian Revolution colt The Instructor is two-from-two to date and comes into the Group 1 fresh not having run since his Preview win a month back.
Second elect to win the Blue Diamond this year following Barber closely in the markets meanwhile is the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Steel City at $5.50.
Ben Melham has the mount on the talented Merchant Navy filly who is drawn ideally in gate five which last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Daumier jumped from.
Steel City brings in the Sydney form around Learning To Fly having run second to her in the Group 3 Widden Stakes before the form was franked with the winner’s next-up $2 million Inglis Millennium success.
The Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Don Corleone is an early market mover into Blue Diamond Stakes odds of $7 to hand co-trainer Peter Snowden a fourth victory.
Nicely-bred Extreme Choice colt Don Corleone was one of the big winners from Tuesday afternoon’s Blue Diamond Stakes barrier draw set to jump from barrier three with Mark Zahra in the saddle on Saturday.
Rounding out the hopes under $10 to become this autumn’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner are Ben & JD Hayes’ Per Incanto colt Little Brose coming off a Prelude second and consistent Brave Smash colt Brave Halo from Perth both at $9 but with mixed luck gate-wise drawing barriers seven and 16 respectively.
The Blue Diamond Stakes is one of three Group 1 races taking place at Ladbrokes Park Lakeside on Saturday along with the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) for sprinters and Futurity Stakes (1400m) for the middle-distance mile types.
