The Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes market has had a reshuffle after horses that headed betting leading into racing at Caulfield had their colours lowered in crucial lead-up races on the Saturday.
My Gladiola was favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22 and was expected to cement her position at the top of betting in the filly’s division of the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on Saturday but was beaten into second place as an odds-on favourite.
Godolphin colt Aleppo Pine had been second elect in the Blue Diamond betting and was the $2.45 favourite to win the colt’s and gelding’s division of the Prelude, but after leading into the straight, he weakened to finish fifth behind Field Of Play.
Racing Victoria stewards reported Aleppo Pine had pulled-up lame in the left foreleg.
Field Of Play, who is not among nominations for the Blue Diamond, has been installed the $5 favourite after his impressive on-pace win with Palm Angel on the second line at $6.
My Gladiola has eased to $8 following her defeat.
Natalie Young, who prepares Field Of Play in partnership with Trent Busuttin, said it would be an easy decision to part with $55,000 as a late entry fee for the Blue Diamond.
“It is when you’re running around for $2 million,” Young said.
“Blake Shinn just rode him absolutely fantastic. He actually said, ‘I’ll just ride him like he’s the best horse in the race’, and he did and he got the job done.
“It’s a good problem to have knowing that you’ll be 55k short when you’re racing for that prizemoney.”
Busuttin and Young will chase a second Blue Diamond win having won it with Tagaloa in 2020.
Winning jockey Blake Shinn joked that he would be putting some of his winning percentage towards paying the late nomination fee for the Blue Diamond.
“He’s going to be one of the favourites I’d imagine off the back of that win and he’s already won at 1200 (metres),” Shinn said.
“He’s just a really beautiful horse to ride. I’ve ridden a lot of nice two-year-olds over my time and he’s got a little bit of a way to go to be like a Capitalist, but he’s a very impressive horse.”
Palm Angel had been one of the top fancies for the Blue Diamond after scoring on debut at Caulfield in the Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) in November.
The Jason Warren-trained filly had her colours lowered by My Gladiola in the Blue Diamond Preview at Sandown, but the trainer was confident of turning the tables on Saturday.
“We went into her first-up run in the Preview a little bit soft,” Warren said.
“We’d gone there with one jump-out under our belt with a view that our Grand Final was still six weeks away.
“So, we used the run to bring her on. The barrier draw last start forced the issue, so we didn’t knock her around and felt that we came here much improved.
“I think we can tighten up a little bit further into the Grand Final in two weeks.”