In-form colt General Beau will line up in the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes after his owner David Moodie decided to pay the late entry fee.
The youngster was not nominated for Melbourne’s richest two-year-old race but co-trainer Matt Ellerton said it wasn’t hard to convince Moodie to fork out the $55,000 required to secure a start.
General Beau had mounted a persuasive case to be included in the Blue Diamond having won the colts and geldings Preview and Prelude heats.
Ellerton felt General Beau deserved his spot in Saturday’s $1.5 million Caulfield feature with that type of form.
“It’s probably logical. The horse is in one piece and he looks enormous,” Ellerton said.
“He pulled up well from the run so we’ll get a ticket in the lottery.”
The son of Brazen Beau has now had four starts for three wins and a second to Ingratiating.
In 2011, Sepoy won both the Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude before going on to take out the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Ellerton said the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained filly Enthaar, who is undefeated in two starts, was the horse to beat on Saturday.
“Well the market tells you that there is probably only one thing that can beat her and that’s probably herself,” Ellerton said.
“We’ll take our place and hopefully we can have every chance.”
Enthaar was a $2.10 favourite with TAB fixed odds on Monday with General Beau on the fourth line of betting at $11.
General Beau has been ridden in all of his starts by leading jockey Jamie Kah and Ellerton is hoping she will stay aboard.
At his last start, General Beau defeated another highly-fancied 2021 Blue Diamond Stakes runner in Anamoe by a short half-head.
Moodie, who is the breeder and owner of General Beau, has a policy not to enter his two-year-olds for the major features.
He believes that given his large number of horses, it is cheaper for him not to nominate them all for the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper and instead pay a late entry fee if he feels they deserve to run.
In 2010, Moodie paid a $150,000 late entry fee to start Crystal Lily in the Golden Slipper and the filly swept to victory in the world’s richest two-year-old race.
