Last year’s winning jockey Craig Williams has selected the Tony McEvoy trained Kinky Boom as his mount for the 2018 Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 24.
Craig Williams will ride Kinky Boom, above, in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Williams was aboard the Lindsay Park trained Catchy who he brought from near the tail of the field to score a half length win in the 2017 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes.
The big race jockey was aboard Kinky Boom for her debut win in the $250,000 Inglis Premier over the same course and distance as the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes and confirmed on twitter that he will stick with the Spirit Of Boom filly on Saturday week.
“Pleased to announce I have confirmed the ride on Kinky Boom in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond for trainer Tony McEvoy,” Williams tweeted.
Williams gave connections a glowing report after Kinky Boom came from the tail of the field to overhaul the leaders to record a one and three quarter lengths win over the Robbie Griffiths trained Grand Symphony in the Inglis Premier.
“The acceleration she showed to put them away … and then she was soft on the line. She’s an exciting filly,” Williams said.
“She’s a major contender for the Blue Diamond. Like Catchy last year, she showed she can come from off the speed and use her acceleration.”
McEvoy said that he was very enthused when Williams told him after the Inglis Premier win that he thought that Kinky Boom was as good as last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy.
“It really flicked the bristles up on my neck a little bit when he said she felt equally as good as Catchy and Tulip last year. So that really got me thinking, ‘Wow. Maybe this filly’s better than what I’ve given her credit for’,” McEvoy told RSN 927’s Correct Weight.
“So that was really exciting.”
Williams is riding in great form and collected a winning double at Caulfield last Saturday on Super Cash in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Rubiton Stakes (1100m) and on Hartnell in the Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) .
Early betting for the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au has Kinky Boom sharing sharing favouritism with her stablemate Oohood at $6.50 just ahead of the James Cummings trained Plague Stone at $7.
Mark Zahra has been booked to ride Plague Stone, replacing Kerrin McEvoy who was aboard the Lonhro colt last start when second to Written By in the Group 3 $200,000 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) for the colts and gelding at Caulfield last Saturday.
Early betting for the 2018 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $6.50 Kinky Boom, Oohood, $7 Plague Stone, $7.50 Long Leaf, Written By, $11 Ennis Hill, Seabrook, $13 Native Soldier, $15 Enbihaar, $17 Encryption, Run Naan, $21 Lady Horseowner, $26 Seberate, $34 Crossing The Abbey, Pierro Belle, Qafila, $41 or better the rest.
