Barrier draw favours Samaready in Blue Diamond

The Mick Price trained Samaready will start a short priced favourite in Saturday’s $1m Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday after the barrier draw was completed today.

In a field of twenty including four emergencies, Samaready draw eight and will come in one position if first emergency Fire Thunderbolt doesn’t gain a start.

The undefeated filly skipped to the top of the betting on the strength of two very impressive wins and has been posted at $2.10, way ahead of The Travelling Man ($10)  and the Gai Waterhouse filly No Looking Back at $11.

Samaready scored first up at Flemington over 1000m in December before Price gave her a short break.

The More Than Ready filly then blew her opposition away when she resumed with a three and quarter lengths win in the Group 3 $125,000 Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies over 1100m at Caulfield on February 11.

Price and jockey Craig Newitt were full of praise for their filly and were looking forward to her going around in the Blue Diamond.

“She was three deep out on a limb and toed up to them and then went away very easily,” Newitt said after the Prelude win.

“All she wants to do this preparation is relax and travel and come Blue Diamond day she’ll be one hundred and ten percent.”

The Tony McEvoy trained Jimando has drawn the outside of the twenty horse field and the one time Blue Diamond favourite is now out to $12.

The Travelling Man who hasn’t started since winning the Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Preview for colts and geldings on Australia Day has drawn well at two for trainer Matt Laurie and jockey Ben Melham.

The David Hayes pair of General Rippa (5) and Mama’s Choice (12) are both at $15 with late entry Formidable one point ahead at $14.

Blue Diamond field

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 1 GENERAL RIPPA David Hayes Steven Arnold 5 56.5kg 78
2 1X3 JIMANDO Tony McEvoy Blake Shinn 20 56.5kg 72
3 1X46 CAMBIASO Danny O’Brien James Winks 17 56.5kg 72
4 4X1 THE TRAVELLING MAN (NZ) Matt Laurie Ben Melham 2 56.5kg 72
5 1 BUSH AVIATOR Danny O’Brien Jamie Mott 10 56.5kg 72
6 173 FERMENT John P Thompson Noel Callow 4 56.5kg 68
7 32X2 RUSAMBO Peter Snowden 16 56.5kg 70
8 23X4 ANDRE ROO HOO Robbie Laing Steven King 13 56.5kg 66
9 12 NO LOOKING BACK Gai Waterhouse Nash Rawiller 19 54.5kg 78
10 11 SAMAREADY Mick Price Craig Newitt 8 54.5kg 84
11 51X0 REAL STOLLE John P Thompson 18 54.5kg 70
12 122 FORMIDABLE Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Chris Symons 3 54.5kg 72
13 1X24 MEMBERS JOY Robert Smerdon Glen Boss 7 54.5kg 72
14 1X8 APPLEGATE Peter Snowden 1 54.5kg 72
15 1 MAMA’S CHOICE David Hayes Dwayne Dunn 12 54.5kg 72
16 11 ARMED FOR ACTION Anthony Freedman Craig Williams 11 54.5kg 72
17e 1 FIRE THUNDERBOLT Phillip Stokes 6 56.5kg 66
18e 3225 MRS GRAY David Hayes Luke Nolen 15 54.5kg 64
19e 4 PRONTO PRONTO Jason Warren 9 56.5kg 62
20e AL ANEED Mick Price Damien Oliver 14 56.5kg

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.