Little Brose will join two illustrious names on the Caulfield Guineas honour roll if successful in the Group 1 race for three-year-olds on Saturday.
Only two horses have won the Blue Diamond Stakes and Caulfield Guineas double since the Blue Diamond was first run in 1971.
Champion sprinter Manikato took the double in 1978 while Redoute’s Choice won the Blue Diamond at his second start as a two-year-old before winning the Guineas at start number six.
Manikato went on to claim 29 wins from his 47 starts, including winning the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley in five consecutive years while Redoute’s Choice later became a champion sire standing at Arrowfield Stud before his death in 2019 at the age of 22.
The Ben, Will and J D Hayes-trained Little Brose has a long way to go to live up to the deeds of those two champions, but can take a step closer to the pair if successful in the Guineas on Saturday.
Little Brose took out the Blue Diamond at Sandown in February, at his fourth race start.
Put away after running eighth in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill, Little Brose has had three runs to date in his three-year-old year, all at Caulfield.
He was a first-up fourth over 1100m, improving to third in the McNeil Stakes (1200m) on September 2 before finishing sixth behind Steparty in the Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 23.
J D Hayes said he expects the rise in trip to 1600m to suit Little Brose on Saturday.
“I thought it was an encouraging run the other day,” Hayes said.
“He’s been building, building, building, but we’re going to need a lot of luck for the Grand Final.”
Hayes concedes Little Brose does need to step it up a fraction if he is to match it with fellow Group 1 winners Militarise and King Colorado while also turning the tables on Steparty.
The blinkers remain a part Little Brose’s race day gear.
“We’ve kept him at Flemington since his last run, and we’ve popped him over a few logs just to change things up for him,” Hayes said.
“Any improvement we can get out of him is certainly going to help, but we’re going to need everything in our favour.
“But we’re happy with the way he’s going.”
