C.F. Orr, Blue Diamond Preludes on tap at
Caulfield
Group 1 racing returns to the Australian autumn Saturday with the running of
the C.F. Orr at Caulfield. As per usual the 1,400-meter contest boasts a handful
of heavyweights resuming, and early favoritism goes to Moment of Change.
The Peter Moody charge looks for his first victory since claiming the Sir
Rupert Clarke over this track and trip in September 2012, although he has not
been disgraced recently. The five-year-old gelding made five starts in the
Australian spring, never finishing worse than fourth. He checked in third in the
VRC Sprint Classic November 9, and was second in the Winterbottom Stakes. Moment
of Change boasts a fitness advantage, having last raced in the Australia Stakes
at Moonee Valley January 24, finishing second. He tries 1,400 meters for the
first time since his Rupert Clarke victory.
Shamus Award became a household name in October when breaking his maiden in
his ninth outing in the Cox Plate. The three-year-old, also third in the
Caulfield Guineas, has been on the sidelines since that effort, but trainer
Danny O’Brien expressed his confidence in his charge.
“He’s had a faultless preparation from the time we brought him home from the
Cox Plate,” O’Brien told
Racing and
Sports. “He’s been down at our Barwon Heads property all summer and he’s
just thrived. We brought him back to Flemington a couple of weeks ago to have
those two jumpouts the last two Fridays, and they’ve both been excellent. We’re
going there expecting him to run very well.”
As a three-year-old, Shamus Award gets eight pounds from his rivals, as does
Eurozone. The winner of the September 28 Stan Fox at Rosehill when last seen,
Eurozone was good enough to beat the highly-regarded Bull Point as a juvenile.
Hawkspur looked like one to watch in the spring after winning the Chelmsford in
September, and ran a game fourth when hung wide thereafter in the George Main.
He had the misfortune of a handful of bad trips thereafter, and was last seen
finishing 20th of 24 in the Melbourne Cup November 5. He finished fifth of six
in a January 16 Randwick trial.
Also on the Caulfield card, hopefuls for Australia’s A$1 million Blue Diamond
Stakes take the next step toward that February 22 contest in a pair of Blue
Diamond Preludes, with the fillies taking the stage first. This race has a
strong record for producing standout fillies, with the 2012 winner, Samaready,
going on to take the Blue Diamond and last year’s Moir Stakes, and last year’s
winner, Guelph, recording four Group 1 victories thereafter, including the
second two legs of the Sydney Two-Year-Old Triple Crown.
This year, Guelph’s stablemate Earthquake is the heavy choice to give Darley
and trainer Peter Snowden back-to-back renewals. Currently the 4-1 second choice
for the Blue Diamond, Earthquake was a stylish first-out winner at Randwick in
her lone start November 9. She bolstered the confidence of her connections with
a sharp gallop at Flemington Tuesday. Earthquake gets the services of jockey
Damien Browne, with Darley stable jockey Kerrin McEvoy out with an injury.
Eloping looks to extend her record to three straight off the back of a victory
in Caulfield’s Blue Diamond Fillies Preview two weeks ago. Top Dolly’s
connections thought enough of her to debut her in a Group 3 at Flemington
November 5, where she finished second to the highly regarded Oakleigh Girl in
her lone outing.
The Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude marks the next stepping stone for
the exciting Rubick, the early favorite for both the Blue Diamond and the Golden
Slipper, the world’s richest juvenile race, at Randwick April 5. Highly regarded
after a smooth trial win at Rosehill January 7, Rubick justified the lofty
expectations shouldered upon him with a three-length score on debut at Randwick
January 25. The colt completed a work left-handed the “Melbourne way” in Sydney
Monday, and left trainer Gerald Ryan feeling confident in the chances of his
charge, who is owned by a partnership including Stallion Racing, Teeley Assets
and Werrett Bloodstock.
“We worked him over 800 meters this morning the reverse way, and he’s clocked
:51.57 seconds for the trip,” Ryan told
Racenet.com.au. “He’s
run :35.95 for his final 600 meters, 400 meters in :22.82 and last 200 meters in
:11.33 seconds without ever coming off the bit.”
The last prelude winner to go on to Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper glory was
Darley homebred Sepoy in 2011, and Sheikh Mohammed’s operation will be hoping to
recapture the magic with Mohave, who graduated in his second outing in the Blue
Diamond Colts & Geldings Preview over this strip January 25. In his only prior
appearance, Mohave was second to the highly regarded Law in the Breeders’ Plate
at Randwick October 5. Nostradamus was a sparkling first Australian winner for
his sire Medaglia d’Oro at Flemington January 18, and is the current 9-1 fourth
choice for the Blue Diamond.
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