Peter & Paul Snowden’s early favourite in 2017 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes betting Pariah has his final lead-up in the Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude at Caulfield this weekend.
2017 Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Pariah runs in the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield Racecourse on the weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
A final field of 14 two-year-old colts and geldings take to the track on CF Orr Stakes Day in Caulfield Race 4 at 2:15pm (AEDT) in the $200,000 Group 3 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) over 1100m.
The clear $3.50 favourite at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au for the Group 3 win on Saturday and the pre-field $6 top fancy in Blue Diamond Stakes odds, Pariah is set to start from barrier nine with Kerrin McEvoy aboard.
The stable won the Blue Diamond Stakes in 2015 with Pride Of Dubai who came off a second in the Prelude, while co-trainer Peter Snowden also took out the Group 1 with Earthquake (2014) and Sepoy (2011).
Pariah has had just the one start to date but there is already plenty of hype on the Redoute’s Choice colt who won the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) on debut in Sydney last month.
He gets two weeks between runs and races in Melbourne for the first time in the Blue Diamond Prelude looking to confirm his favouritism for the $1.5 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 25.
At $15 in futures Blue Diamond betting, the Mick Price-trained Cao Cao is the other leading contender coming via a Prelude run this weekend.
Price ran the Blue Diamond Stakes quinella with Extreme Choice (1st) and Flying Artie (2nd) last Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival, and looks in with another livewire hope in 2017.
Drawn one closer to the rails on Saturday than the favourite, Cao Cao jumps from barrier eight with Mark Zahra aboard the Fastnet Rock colt first-up.
Second on debut at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m), Cao Cao won at Moonee Valley with Zarah aboard in late November.
He pays $5.50 to win his autumn campaign kick-off this weekend occupying the third line of betting.
The second elect at $5 and early market mover is Craig Williams’ mount Property.
The Robert Smerdon-trained Starcraft gelding is not currently nominated for the Blue Diamond Stakes, but the bookies have him safe in the all-in markets at $15.
He took out the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) on Australia Day in a smart 1.75 length win and will be after the double on Saturday.
The other single-figure fancy for the Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude win at $7.50 is the Godolphin-raced Street Cry colt Marsupial who backs up off a smart 2.3 length debut win over 1200m at Canterbury on January 20.
Other noteworthy hopes include the Lindsay Park-trained Maribyrnong Plate third-placed Lonhro colt Wait For No One out to improve on his sixth in the Preview and runner-up in that traditional lead-up Azazel for Tony McEvoy.
Check out the full Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) 2017 field, barriers and jockeys below along with the latest odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
