Epsom hopeful Gypsy Diamond can book herself a spot in the major Spring feature mile with a good first up performance in the Group 3 $125,000 Toy Show Quality (1300m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Epsom hopeful Gypsy Diamond will resume in the Toy Show Quality. Photo by Steve Hart.
Gypsy Diamond will be having her first start for Peter and Paul Snowden since being transferred from John O’Shea and the new training combination thinks that the four year old mare is an ideal candidate for the Group 1 $500,000 The Star Epsom (1600m) at Randwick on October 4.
“Gypsy Diamond is probably our best possibility of getting to the Epsom – she is our best chance now,” Peter Snowden told The Daily Telegraph.
“She’s a nice filly, and I’ve seen her from afar when she raced against Guelph.
“She went to a new level last time in, it was a cracking run in the Queen Of The Turf (when second), and being a Zabeel mare, the older they get the better they tend to get.
“She’s come up well, we’re really happy with her, it’s her home track on Saturday over 1300m, it will be soft, so there’s a bit to like about her.’’
Gypsy Diamond worked her way up through the ranks while under the care of O’Shea before he took over as head trainer for Darley and now Godolphin and was denied a Group 1 victory when beaten on the line by the Gai Waterhouse trained Diamond Drille in the $1m Cellarbrations Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 19.
Along the way the Not A Single Doubt mare picked up the Group 2 $220,000 Jeep Don’t Hold Back Fillies Classic (1600m) at Moonee Valley during last year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival and the Group 3 $200,000 The Daily Telegraph Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 12.
Melbourne cup winning jockey Blake Shinn will be the new rider for Gypsy Diamond as she fronts up again to Diamond Drille who is also making her Spring Carnival entry in the Toy Show Quality.
Tommy Berry will again be aboard Diamond Drille who has drawn near the inside at two while Shinn will be looking for a bit of early luck after drawing wide at ten in the fourteen horse field.
The Toy Show Quality has attracted a strong field of mares including the Kris Lees trained Lucia Valentina who is also resuming after winning the Group 1 $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill and then running third to Rising Romance in the Group 1 $1m Seven News Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Hugh Bowman, only recently back from a three month riding stint in Hong Kong, will be back aboard the Savabeel mare after forging a winning association in the Autumn.
