Some exciting stakes racing will highlight the Australia Day card at Caulfield on Friday with five stakes races including the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) for fillies and the colts equivalent which for some weird reason is only Listed or maybe the better question is why is the fillies a G3 given the list of past winners is largely made up of fillies that never win another stakes race.
If you go back far enough there are some good winners of the fillies race with Blue Diamond winner Miracles of Life saluting in 2013, Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily winning in 2010 and G1 SAJC Sportingbet Classic winner Rostova scoring in 2009, while Eloping, who won in 2014 has found everlasting fame at stud as the dam of dual Group I winner In Secret.
The field this year is largely made up of unraced fillies and there are two by champion sire I Am Invincible including the most expensive runner Bella Corazon, a $400,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Yarraman Park trained by Annabel Neasham.
She has the benefit of two recent trials in Sydney, has drawn a good gate with Blake Shinn to ride and is bred to be well above average as a three-quarter sister-in-blood to slick stakes-winning filly Sangria. She is from Notting Hill, a two time winning Pierro half-sister to Group III winner Precious Lorraine and stakes-winner Lucky Raquie from the Monsoon Wedding branch of the Shantha’s Choice family.
The colts race is all unraced bar Blue Stratum and is packed with expensive colts headed by $1,050,000 Deep Field colt High Octane, the most expensive yearling by Deep Field sold in 2023 and his highest priced yearling ever. He won his most recent trial earning a trip to Melbourne and is one of two in the race for Peter and Paul Snowden with the other being Holmes a Court.
Annabel Neasham has another expensive I Am Invincible in this race in Innervisions, who has won his past two trials.
Innervisions was a $700,000 Magic Millions purchase from Kia Ora Stud for TFI/Annabel Neasham Racing/Dermot Farrington Bloodstock and is from stakes-winning Snitzel mare Modern Wonder, a full sister to Champion 2YO Filly and multiple Group winner Away Game, a winner of $3.7million.
Interesting runner for Yulong in $950,000 Inglis Easter purchase Espinho, the half-brother by Written Tycoon to triple Group I winner Shoals and stakes-winner Groundswell from blueblood producer The Broken Shore. Arrowfield will be watching this race with great interest given they have his full brother in Inglis Easter as Lot 346.
