Tony McEvoy will unleash his Blue Diamond top seed Concealer in the fillies’ Prelude at Caulfield.
But before then, the trainer could have three juveniles in action on Saturday at Caulfield with Hey Doc and Lessyd in the $250,000 Inglis Premier and Manuel in the Chairman’s Stakes.
Concealer
Concealer won a Group Three race for two-year-old fillies at Flemington on November 3 at her only start and is at $15 in the market for the $1.5 million Blue Diamond.
“She’ll run on the 13th of February at Caulfield in the Prelude then the Blue Diamond second-up,” McEvoy said.
The trainer had considered kicking off the filly’s campaign in Saturday’s $250,000 Inglis Classic in Sydney.
“I just don’t think it would be in her best interest to travel up there and come back for the Blue Diamond,” he said.
“So she’ll go to the Prelude.”
The respective Blue Diamond Preludes are two weeks before the Group One Blue Diamond.
Hey Doc was narrowly beaten by stablemate Lessyd in a race at Flemington earlier this month and the pair will try to emulate Stoker and Manhattan Blues who ran the quinella for the McEvoy stable in last year’s Inglis Premier.
McEvoy was happy when he returned from the yearling sale in Auckland and inspected the duo on Friday and watched them work on Saturday.
“I’ll possibly run Manuel in the Chairman’s if he does well this week,” McEvoy said.
Manuel started odds-on favourite in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes in October at Flemington when fourth to Sweet Sherry.
McEvoy is looking to give Manuel his chance at a Blue Diamond campaign, with the colt at $18 in the market.
“He was going well last time but he just didn’t put it to his race,” McEvoy said.
“He’s a Commands. Trying to make a Commands a two-year-old rarely works, so if he doesn’t run like I think I’ll put him back out and let him grow up.”
While Hey Doc does hold a Blue Diamond nomination, Lessyd is not entered for the race.
“If Hey Doc was impressive we’ll consider it,” McEvoy said.
“You only get one chance to run in a Blue Diamond, but he’d have to be very impressive.”
