Unbeaten filly Sword Of Light has drawn the outside barrier in the thirteen horse field of the Group 2 $200,000 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) for the fillies at Caulfield on Saturday.
Sword Of Light has drawn the outside barrier in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude for the fillies at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Sword Of Light won her Echuca maiden on December 17 by five and a quarter lengths before winning the Group 3 $150,000 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Preview (F) (1000m) at Caulfield on January 26.
The New Approach filly isn’t among the entries for the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27 but another impressive winning effort could tempt connections to pay the $55,000 late entry fee.
Damian Lane has been aboard Sword Of Light for her two wins and will have to be at his best to negotiate a winning path from the outside gate.
Sword Of Light has proved to be a handful in the barriers and was a late scratching from the New Year’s Plate (1000m) at Flemington on New Year’s Day when she reared up in the gates and hit her head.
She was better behaved at Caulfield and the outside barrier might be to her advantage as she will be loaded last and won’t have to stand in the starting stalls very long.
“She’s a cantankerous little thing, her mother [Joyeuse] was much the same,” co-trainer Matthew Ellerton said.
“She’s got her quirks like we saw on New Year’s Day.”
Emphatically is set to clash again with Sword Of Light after running second to her in the Blue Diamond Preview and will jump from barrier four with Nicholas Hall in the saddle.
The Tony McEvoy trained Concealer is a winner at her only start in the Group 3 $150,000 Emirates Airline Plate (1000m) at Flemington on November 3 and has drawn barrier eight with Mark Zahra taking over from Zac Purton.
Calliope is another smart filly lining up in the Blue Diamond Prelude and is also a winner at her only race start.
The John O’Shea trained Exceed And Excel filly was a comfortable winner as an short priced favourite in the Listed $150,000 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on October 3 and was immediately sent for spell before being prepared for the Autumn Carnival.
James McDonald was in the saddle at Randwick but Steven Arnold has been given the job this week with the filly drawing nicely at gate five.
Zamzam was a surprise winner for the Lindsay Park Team on debut beating the odds on favourite Gridelin in a 1000m two year old Plate at Moonee Valley on January 29.
Dwayne Dunn takes over from Damian Lane on Zamzam and should give the filly a good run from barrier six.
Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude for the fillies field: 1 Sword Of Light (13), 2 Concealer (8), 3 Calliope (5), 4 Sweet Sherry (10), 5 Emphatically (4), 6 Kinetic Design (3), 7 Samara Dancer (9), 8 Quick Feet (2), 9 Thyme For Roses (11), 10 Zamzam (6). 11 Dream First (1), 12 Selenia (7), 13 Miss Nymeria (12).
