The Lindsay Park-trained Wait For No One has opened clear favourite to take out the 2017 Blue Diamond Preview Colts & Geldings race at Caulfield Racecourse on Thursday’s Australia Day race meeting.
Wait For No One shapes-up as the one to beat on Thursday in Caulfield’s 2017 Blue Diamond Preview for colts and geldings. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Running as Caulfield Race 3 at 2:45pm (AEDT) one race before the fillies’ edition of the first official Blue Diamond Stakes lead-up, this season’s $150,000 Listed Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) runs over 1000m and features a 10 horse field.
Heading the Blue Diamond Preview odds at Ladbrokes.com.au at a firming quote of $3.10 is progressive Lonhro colt Wait For No One whose co-trainer David Hayes has prepared five previous Blue Diamond Stakes winners.
In futures betting for the Group 1 on February 25, Wait For No One is at $17 but that price will shorten if he salutes for the punters on Thursday in the Preview.
On debut he took out the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield last October before his last start third behind Aspect at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m).
First-up tomorrow the youngster has drawn a treat in barrier two with Regan Bayliss booked for the ride.
Occupying the second line of Blue Diamond Preview (Colts & Geldings) betting at $4 is the Tony McEvoy-trained Azazel after his second career win from three starts.
Luke Currie rides the son of Snitzel from gate eight after partnering for his Moonee Valley win on debut last Cox Plate Day and his fourth in the Maribyrnong Plate.
Azazel has trialled once since running second over 900m at Pakenham in mid-January and shapes-up as a livewire hope on Thursday and for the 2017 Blue Diamond Stakes for which he pays $14 in futures.
The other two single-figure fancies for the Preview are the Robert Smerdon-trained Property ($5) and the unraced Overshare ($6.50) for Team Hawkes drawn in barriers six and three respectively.
Starcraft gelding Property has just his second career start in the Listed feature this week after his second to the Lindsay Park-trained filly Catchy on debut over 1100m at Caulfield on January 7.
Craig Williams replaces Mark Zahra in the saddle on Thursday.
Four-time Blue Diamond Stakes winning jockey Dwayne Dunn meanwhile rides the Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained debutant Overshare.
The I Am Invincible colt comes into the race without an official trial, but is being kept safe in betting and is also at $34 in outright Blue Diamond Stakes odds for next month.
The other notable two-year-old colts and geldings facing off on Thursday include the rails-drawn Ganzfeld ($12) prepared by John O’Shea for the Godolphin stable and Robbie Griffiths’ Written Tycoon colt Beaverbrook ($17).
Check out the full Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win betting markets from Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply) – below.
