Some of racing’s most promising juveniles go on full display this Saturday in the $2 million Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.
A capacity field of two-year-olds have accepted for the 1200m feature, and early betting suggests there’s a case to be made for more than just a handful.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are looking to continue their success in the two-year-old ranks with last-start Group 3 winner Lady Of Camelot, while Matt Laurie is hoping unbeaten colt Coleman can secure him a third Group 1 win.
The Snowden’s are chasing their fourth Blue Diamond with their own unbeaten colt, Bodyguard. The I Am Invincible two-year-old came up trumps during the barrier draw and looks to have further improvement to come following his win in the Prelude race two weeks ago.
It’s shaping as a memorable edition of Melbourne’s biggest two-year-old race, and you can find our thoughts on all the key chances below!
2024 Blue Diamond Stakes Betting Strategy
- 1 Unit Coleman (Win)
- 1 Unit Matisse (Each Way)
Blue Diamond Stakes – Winner
It’s no surprise to find Mark Walker’s star Kiwi mare Imperatriz at a very short price on return.
The eight-time Group 1 winner was far from her best during a recent trial at Cranbourne last week, raising a few eyebrows in regards to how she’s handled her first Australian summer.
All reports out of the stable suggest she was in terrific order during a recent piece of track work at The Valley though, and as we saw last week with Mr Brightside, it’s fair to say trials can mean very little come race day.
The daughter of I Am Invincible was arguably the star of the spring last year, cementing her status as Australia’s best sprinter with a gutsy win in the Group 1 Champions Sprint – her first start at Flemington.
Five wins from six starts first-up makes for pleasant reading, and with Opie Bosson on board as usual, the pair look to have a range of options from the gate.
Suggested Bet: No. 4 Coleman
Blue Diamond Stakes – 2nd
Eneeza is one I have plenty of time for out of the Peter Moody yard.
This filly by Exceed and Excel was second to greet the judge in the Chairman’s behind Coleman last start, only warming up late where she was seen doing her best work through the line.
Her previous win at Stakes level back in December was encouraging, caught five deep into the turn but still finding an extra gear to put her rivals away by over two lengths.
Damian Lane sticking is an enormous plus, and just like the favourite, the pair are drawn to be up there fighting it out early on speed.
Suggested Bet: No. 12 Eneeza
Blue Diamond Stakes – 3rd
Matisse is an intriguing filly out of the Freedman camp that appears more than capable of sneaking into the money.
By Group 1 winner Microphone, the lightly-raced two-year-old has cashed a cheque in both starts to date, last seen storming the line down the outside in the Prelude where she was beaten half a length by Hayasugi.
The wide gate was against her that day as she was forced to settle a long way back, but she should be better for the run having drawn low on this occasion with Luke Currie taking over the reins.
As expected, her late splits last time out ranked among the best of the meeting, suggesting the extra rise to 1200m won’t pose any issue.
Given the Freedman’s rich history of winning the Blue Diamond, I think this filly might be one of the biggest dangers in the race.
Suggested Bet: No. 15 Matisse
Blue Diamond Stakes – 4th
High Octane is one of only a few in this year’s field that might benefit from having drawn a wide gate.
The Snowden-trained son of Deep Field went around at short odds in the colts and geldings Prelude two weeks ago where he was a tough watch for anyone aboard the favourite.
On a day that favoured the inside running lanes, Blake Shinn found himself held up badly from the 400m mark onward, only finding a gap late when the race was basically over.
His previous win on debut in the Preview was solid, so afforded more running room this time from barrier 10, perhaps a three-wide ride in transit won’t be the worst.
Suggested Bet: No. 8 High Octane
