The successful training partnership of Matthew Ellerton and Simon Zahra have two strong chances with Want To Rock and Sword Of Light in the Group 3 $150,000 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) for the Fillies at Caulfield tomorrow.
Jockey Damian Lane will ride Sword Of Light in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.
Both fillies are first start winners with Want To Rock scoring a narrow victory down the Flemington straight in a 1000m Two Year Old for Plate for the fillies on New Year’s Day while Sword Of Light was a runaway five and a quarter lengths winner in a 1000m Echuca Maiden for two year old fillies on December 17.
But both fillies also have hurdles to over with Want To Rock coming up with gate nineteen in the original barrier draw and the co-trainers will be hoping Sword Of Light is on her best behaviour after being sent back to be passed at the barriers after being a late scratching at Flemington on New Year’s Day after rearing in the starting gates and hitting her head.
“Obviously Sword Of Light was a late scratching on New Year’s Day at Flemington when she played up in the gates but she’s been back to the trials and has behaved herself well,” Ellerton told Racing.com.
“Want To Rock has drawn horrendously but if they both turn up with their race day heads on then we’re confident that they’ll both run well but it’s a big field with plenty of unknowns.”
Katelyn Mallyon steered Want To Rock to her win at Flemington and has retained the ride on the Wanted filly while Damian Lane was successful on Sword Of Light at Echuca and gets the mount again.
In a wide open betting race, Sword Of Light shares favouritism at $7 at Ladbtokes.com.au with the Robert Smerdon trained Motown Lil and John O’Shea’s first starter, the New Approach filly Gridelin while Want To Rock is marked as a $10 chance.
Equal favourite Motown Lil has been to the races twice during the 2015 Melbourne Spring Carnival for a fourth in the Group 3 $150,000 Emirates Airline Plate (1000m) at Flemington on November 3 followed by a fifth in the Listed $120,000 Santa’s Magical Kingdom Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on November 14.
The Sebring filly also ran second in a recent 800m barrier trial at Sandown on January 14 behind tomorrow’s rival Gridelin.
Blue Diamond Preview for the fillies market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $7 Sword Of Light, Motown Lil, Gridelin, $8.50 La Renarde, $9 Pearl Congennial, $10 Want To Rock, $11 Savvy Blue, Selenia, $14 Dream First, $15 The Seductress, Emphatically, $17 Dazzy’s Day, $21 Vuition, $26 Extra Olives, $31 Divertente, Miss Nymeria, $41 Bridgy Lass, $71 She’s Going Off.
