Black Caviar Lightning Tips & Preview 2023
Blue Diamond Stakes Stakes Tips & Preview 2023
Looking for Blue Diamond Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes at Sandown.
BLUE DIAMOND STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT
The two-year-olds feature in the Blue Diamond Stakes at Sandown on Saturday and it is Steel City that has firmed into favouritism with Palmerbet at the $4.40 quote, while the Colts & Geldings Prelude (1100m) winner, Barber is at $5.50.
Brave Halo will be ridden by Damien Oliver and is at $8.50, while Little Brose is another below the double figures at $9.50. The Instructor and Don Corleone are both at $10, while the the Fillies Prelude (1100m) winner, Exploring, heads the rest at the $14.
BLUE DIAMOND STAKES FORM ANALYSIS
A couple of the key races to look at are the Blue Diamond Preludes (1100m) that were held at Sandown on February 11. In the colts and geldings division it was Barber that came with a well-timed run to score from Little Brose, while Brave Halo was 4th.
Barber’s stablemate, Exploring, took out the fillies section from Party For Two, while Extreme Threat was 3rd at her race debut. Sensical (4th), Cigar Flick (5th), Beauty Rising (7th) and De Sonic Boom (12th) also come out of that race.
The fillies ran quicker time over the 1100m with Exploring going 1:03.49, equating to five lengths faster than standard benchmark, while Barber went 1:03.99 and 1.6 lengths faster than standard benchmark.
Barber settled on the speed, while Little Brose produced the fastest last 400m in the colts. Exploring led all the way and Sensical was one of the eye-catchers, producing the fastest last 200m in the fillies race.
Zulfiqar is another Godolphin last start winner, having taken out the Chairmans Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on February 4. He settled up front before producing the fastest last 200m to go 1.8 lengths faster than standard benchmark. Veecee filled the exacta and appeared to have every chance.
Steel City is an interesting contender. The Maher/Eustace galloper was heavily favoured in Sydney at her race debut before finishing runner-up behind Red Resistance. That horse has since come out and defeated King’s Gambit in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m). Steel City has had one run since and again landed in the runner-up slot, that time behind Learning To Fly in the Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
The daughter of Merchant Navy went a healthy 6.6 lengths faster than standard benchmark in that race. Learning To Fly then came out and claimed the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m).
Don Corleone is another to come down from Sydney and went 10.4 lengths faster than standard benchmark on debut, claiming a 2YO Handicap over the 1000m back on January 21. That is a better figure than what any runner in this race has produced. She had a tardy start at her next race, which was the Pierro Plate (1100m) at Randwick, but appeared to have every chance when 4th to Cafe Millennium.
BLUE DIAMOND STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS
As always with the two-year-olds it is hard to tell exactly which horses have scope for further improvement. Looking at the map and the race should be genuinely run with The Instructor, Zulfiqar, Exploring and Party For Two all a chance to lead, while Barber, Veecee and Steel City shouldn’t be too far away. Suspect that most of the youngsters should get their chance. Hard to tip against Godolphin but we must respect the Maher/Eustace camp and Steel City brings the right form for mine. Blake Shinn will look to gain early cover and the long straight at Sandown should play into the hands of his mount. I thought that Little Brose was solid off the slow tempo in the Prelude for the boys and is a possible improver with better pace and the step up to the 1200m. Those two look to be the play.
