The Mick Price trained Extreme Choice is the new favourite for the Group 1 $1.4m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27 following second declarations.
Extreme Choice, above, is the new favourite for the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Steve Hart.
Extreme Choice is one of eighteen Price trained two year olds among the two hundred and nine juveniles left in contention for the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes.
With the non-acceptance of Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Capitalist, Extreme Choice has been posted as the $5 Blue Diamond Stakes favourite with Ladbrokes.com.au.
On the second line of betting at $7 is the John O’Shea trained Astern ahead of the unraced Defcon from the Peter and Paul Snowden stable at $9.
Third declarations for the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes is at 12 noon on February 2nd with the final field being declared at 9am on Tuesday February 23rd, 2016.
Extreme Choice made a huge impression on debut when he easily accounted for his opposition with a two lengths win in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick on December 12.
Price has a high opinion of the Not A Single Doubt colt and immediately mapped out a Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes program.
“He will have two weeks off and then he will probably have a run into the Blue Diamond Prelude over 1100 and then the Blue Diamond,” Price told Racing Ahead.
“His prizemoney accounts for that and then it will depend on prizemoney whether he gets into the Slipper or not.
“He is a natural two-year-old.
“He is not overly big, but he is a running, fast and sound and he is not troubled by shins or anything like that.”
Price has already tasted success in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes when his brilliant filly Samaready ran away for a three lengths victory over the Gai Waterhouse trained No Looking Back in 2012.
Second favourite Astern was also an impressive two and a half lengths debut winner in a two year old Plate over 1000m at Randwick on December 5 with James McDonald in the saddle.
Astern is one of twenty two-year-olds that the O’Shea trained Godolphin Team has left in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes following the second declarations.
With the non-acceptance of Capitalist, Team Snowden has been left with four youngsters among the second declarations, including third favourite Defcon as well as Gravitate, Quick Feet and Reinforced.
Defcon, a colt by Choisir, is yet to face the starter, but has trialled twice for a win over 838m at Randwick back in September and a more recent third over 900m at Rosehill on January 4.
Early Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $5 Extreme Choice, $7 Astern, $9 Defcon, $10 Manolo Blahnig, $12 So Serene, $13 Hell Of An Effort, $16 Calliope, Concealer, Dalradian, Power Trip, The Seductress.
