2014 Blue Diamond Stakes has capacity field

The 2014 Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday has attracted a full field of sixteen plus one emergency.

Boomwaa will back up in the Blue Diamond Stakes.

Boomwaa will back up in the Blue Diamond Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Cranbourne trainer Robbie Laing has accepted with Boomwaa who will be backing up after running tenth of twelve behind Snitzerland in the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington last Saturday.

Laing said that Boomwaa didn’t have a hard run in the Black Caviar Lightning and he will also saddle up Snitzel filly Golconda who has been unplaced her last two starts.

“He only had a three and a half furlong gallop on Saturday,” Laing told TVN

“He missed the start badly then was never comfortable.”

“Once Dean (rider, Dean Yendall) worked out he couldn’t win he eased up on him, so he didn’t have a hard run and he’s fine today.”

“They’ll both run in the Blue Diamond unless something goes wrong during the week.”

Equal favourites Rubick with Brenton Avdulla to ride and Earthquake to be ridden by Queensland jockey Damian Browne are among the final field.

The Gerald Ryan trained colt Rubick and smart filly Earthquake from the Peter Snowden stable are both undefeated from two race starts and ran identical times (1.3.71s) in winning the two divisions of the Group 3 $150,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on February 8.

Gai Waterhouse will be represented with the Wanted two year old Francesco and Nayeli who is also unbeaten from two starts and threw himself in the Blue Diamond Stakes calculations with a last start win in the Group 3 $135,000 Mal Seccull Chairman’s Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on February 1.

Team Hawkes will have Nostradamus going around with leading jockey Glen Boss hoping for a good gate for the colt when the barrier draw is conducted later in the day.

“I think for my bloke, because he’s still learning, a good draw would be really helpful,” Boss said.

“His first win was soft. He cantered in front and breezed to the line with no pressure.

“The other day things went wrong for him early with the shoe thing and then I drove him to get him into a spot and he got it wrong a bit for four of five strides. So he’s still getting there.”

Nostradamus showed above average ability with a first up win over 1100m at Flemington on January 18 then finished fourth with an eye catching run behind Rubick in the Blue Diamond Prelude.

The Mark Kavanagh trained Chivalry takes his place in the field and also put in a good run behind Rubick, making up plenty of ground in the straight to finish third.

The Jerome Hunter trained Statue Of Warriors, unplaced from two starts, is the only emergency for the Blue Diamond Stakes.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.