C.F. Orr, Blue Diamond Preludes on tap at Caulfield

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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