The path to the $2million Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22 begins on Saturday at Sandown with the running of the first round of official lead up races, the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) for fillies and the colts equivalent which carries only Listed status which is a good thing this year given the skinny turnout.
Just seven colts accepted with the Godolphin entry already scratched leaving six and the only runner to have raced previously is the Lindsay Park trained Spirit of Boom colt Shining Smile, who had three starts in the spring for a couple of stakes placings and a win at Caulfield over 1000m.
He is well exposed and is the horse to beat, but the door is well and truly open for an unraced runner that is something above average to rise to the challenge and off the Sale Mail I’ll be keen to get a look at the Danny O’Brien trained Star Turn colt Redders.
A $230,000 Magic Millions purchase, Redders looks a mirror image of his sire Star Turn and grand-sire Star Witness, who was trained by O’Brien and won the Blue Diamond in 2010.
First season sires Hanseatic, Farnan and Wootton Bassett (GB) all have runners and the latter is the sire of Yamashita’s Gold, who is a half-brother to rising Hong Kong star galloper Patch of Theta. His dam Fortune of War is a stakes-placed sibling to Group winners Sertorius, Pretty Brazen, Dollar for Dollar, Pretty Amazing and Clifton Red, so has the pedigree to suggest getting some Black Type is a formality.
The fillies race is a ripper with a full field, plus emergencies and two stakes-winners engaged in Miss Celine and Palm Angel, plus three more stakes-placed fillies in Bubion, Wiltshire Square and Price Tag as well as impressive debut winner Too Darn Crystal.
There are four scratchings already, but first season sires that still have runners are Wootton Bassett (GB), Peltzer, Bivouac, Lucky Vega (IRE) and Hanseatic.
Zoustar filly Price Tag is one of three in the race for Anthony and Sam Freedman and her half-brother by Snitzel was a headline maker at the recent Magic Millions Yearling Sale when selling for $2.8million.
Their other runners are stakes-placed Bubion and Expulsion, an intriguing Godolphin homebred filly by Bivouac from Group II winning Lonhro mare Banish, who has had had three foals to race all winners, but no stakes horses yet… this filly might change that on Saturday.
