Extreme Choice On Blue Diamond Stakes Path

Trainer Mick Price has confirmed Extreme Choice will follow a path towards the 2016 Blue Diamond Stakes following his impressive debut victory last weekend.

Extreme Choice will have the chance to run in the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper Stakes during the autumn. Photo by: Steve Hart

Extreme Choice will have the chance to run in the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper Stakes during the autumn. Photo by: Steve Hart

Extreme Choice stamped himself as a colt with some ability when he run a barrier trial over 900 metres at Rosehill Gardens on December 8 in impressive fashion and he proved that victory was no fluke when he proved far too good for his rivals in the $500,000 Inglis Nursey at Royal Randwick on December 12.

Price believes that Extreme Choice has now done enough to head towards the better two-year-old races and he revealed that the son of Not A Single Doubt will run in the Listed Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on February 13 and the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at the same venue a fortnight later before he potentially makes the trip to Sydney for the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m).

“He will have two weeks off and then he will probably have a run into the Blue Diamond Prelude over 1100 and then the Blue Diamond,” Price told Racing Ahead.

“His prizemoney accounts for that and then it will depend on prizemoney whether he gets into the Slipper or not.

“He is a natural two-year-old.

“He is not overly big, but he is a running, fast and sound and he is not troubled by shins or anything like that.”

Extreme Choice has already accumulated $290,000 in prizemoney for connections and that amount of prizemoney is generally more than enough to secure a juvenile a start in the Golden Slipper.

Price is chasing his second win in the Blue Diamond Stakes after taking out the 2012 edition of the race with star filly Samaready, while he is yet to taste success in the Golden Slipper after finishing third with Samaready in 2012 and missing the placings with Ready For Victory (fourth behind Vancouver in 2015), Jabali (11th behind Mossfun in 2014), Cornrow (15th behind Mossfun in 2014) and Halibery (15th behind Polar Success in 2003).

Extreme Choice is currently available at 2016 Golden Slipper odds of $15 with Ladbrokes, while Wyong Magic Millions Classic winner Capitalist ($6) is now a clear favourite from Godolphin-owned Astern ($9), Calliope ($13), Defcon ($15) and Yankee Rose ($15).

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.