The John O’Shea trained three year old Diamond Oasis will be on trial for a possible Melbourne Spring Carnival campaign when he steps out in the Group 3 $125,000 IBIS Styles Lansvale Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
Diamond Oasis could join Caulfield Cup hopeful Lightinthenite, orange and white, above, in Melbourne. Photo by Steve Hart.
Even though Diamond Oasis has drawn the outside of the eleven horse field, O’Shea is hoping for a good performance to justify joining his half a dozen Carnival team heading to Melbourne after winning an 800m barrier trial at Warwick Farm last Friday.
“We’ve got quite a few there and I guess we’ll have about six to go down to Melbourne,” O’Shea told Racing Network.
“But I’d say a race like the Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley could be a good race for him.”
O’Shea has picked out the Group 3 $125,000 Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m) at Randwick on September 7 as a possible date for Diamond Oasis’ next run before he maps out the rest of the Spring program which could include the Group 2 $220,000 City Jeep Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 27.
“He’ll go to the Ming Dynasty after Saturday then we’ll assess where he is at,” O’Shea said.
“I want to have a good look at the Melbourne colts who will excel past 1200-metres before we really make any tough decisions.”
While Diamond Oasis has only won one race, a 1000m Gosford maiden, the Lonhro colt has been placed at Group 3 level when third to Safeguard in the $125,000 Ticketek Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on April 13 before running third again to Le Val in the Listed $100,000 Moreton Hire Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on May 4.
The Peter Snowden trained Safeguard was spelled after the Kindergarten Stakes win, but resumed last Saturday to take out the Group 3 $135,000 Legacy 90th Anniversary Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, indicating that he is on target for a good Spring campaign.
Diamond Oasis is among O’Shea’s six nominations for the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 12 while O’Shea has three fillies, Romantic Moon, Gypsy Diamond and Bound For Earth entered in the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 16.
O’Shea’s other major Melbourne Spring Carnival nominations are Lightinthenite and Kingdoms in the Group 1 $2.65m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 19 with Kingdoms also entered in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.
