Blue Diamond Stakes aspirant Secret Agenda will resume from a spell in the Group 2 $200,000 Blue Diamond Prelude (F) (1100m) at Caulfield on February 14.
Two time Group 1 winner Samready wins the 2012 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield for trainer Mick Price. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Secret Agenda emerged as one of the main contenders for the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 28 after scoring a debut three and a half lengths win over 1000m at Moonee Valley on December 12.
The race for spots in the Blue Diamond Stakes will start to hot up at Sandown next Monday with the running of the Listed $120,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Preview for the colts and geldings and the Group 3 $150,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Preview for the fillies, both over 1000m.
But trainer Mick Price elected to bypass the Australia Day meeting and just give Secret Agenda one run leading into the $1m Blue Diamond Stakes.
“Timing wise it was too close, and then I would have had to give her too much racing,” Price told AAP.
“She’ll run in the Prelude. She is going well.”
Price will step up the Not A Single Doubt filly’s work load in the next couple of weeks which will include a couple of jump outs to tune her up for her return to the racetrack.
The top Caulfield trainer already has a Blue Diamond Stakes trophy which he won with two time Group 1 winner Samaready in 2012 so he has a benchmark with which to compare Secret Agenda.
“I think she’ll run pretty well but you’ve got to see it on the day,” Price said.
“I’m not going to go saying `this is another Samaready’.
“But she’s spunky and fast and we’re entitled to be looking at her as a Blue Diamond possibility.
“She was strong at Moonee Valley, and she is going well.”
In the early Blue Diamond Stakes market order Secret Agenda is marked on the second line of betting at $5.50 behind the Robert Smerdon trained Fontiton who holds the favoured spot at $4.60.
Sydney filly Ottoman from the strong John O’Shea stable is next in the market order at $7 with the Gai Waterhouse trained Flamboyant Lass marked as a $13 chance.
