On Saturday Daniel Clarken’s as yet undefeated Adelaide star Miracles Of Life will look to salute for the punters when she runs in the 2013 Blue Diamond Stakes, but can the favourite retain her flawless record with a win in the Caulfield classic?
Miracles Of Life is the punters' pick for the 2013 Blue Diamond Stakes. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
The daughter of Not A Single Doubt has won all three of her race starts to date kicking off her career with two big wins back home in South Australia but an impressive 5.5 then 9 lengths respectively.
She travelled up to Melbourne for her interstate debut on Australia Day and blitzed her competition with another emphatic victory this time defeating Diamond Glow by 4.5 lengths in the Listed Blue Diamond Fillies Preview (1000m).
Clarken opted to keep his little miracle fresh and not run her in the Blue Diamond Preludes a fortnight ago, despite the stat that says 17 of the past 30 Blue Diamond winners came via a run in a Prelude, and she races for the first time since her Preview success this weekend.
Drawn on the rails with her regular rider from back home Lauren Stojakovic engaged for the ride Miracles Of Life has plenty to lose and lots to prove but she is also full of class with an unbeaten record to boot.
Below we take a look at the pros and cons of backing the favourite this Blue Diamond so you can place a well-informed wager on the Melbourne Festival of Racing feature.
#10 Miracles Of Life – Horse Form
- Barrier: 1
- Jockey: Lauren Stojakovic
- Trainer: Daniel Clarken
- Owners: Teeley Assets Ltd
- Age: 2YO
- Gender: Filly
- Breeding: by Not A Single Doubt (AUS) out of More Than Ready (USA) filly Dazzling Gazelle (AUS)
- Career: 3-3-0-0
- Win: 100%
- Place: 100%
- Last 6: 111
- Prize Money: $115,100
- Track: 1-1-0-0
- Distance: 0-0-0-0
- Current 2013 Blue Diamond Stakes Odds: $2.80
Why Miracles Of Life Can Win the Blue Diamond Stakes 2013
- She has drawn an inside alley, actually the inside alley, and 13 of the past 22 winners have jumped from barriers 1 – 5 including two from gate one; her next best fancied rival #8 Guelph meanwhile is out wide in gate 12
- Regular rider stays on and she knows how to guide this horse to a feature win in Melbourne
- Is undefeated with three wins from as many starts so has class and boasts a 100% win and place rate
- Won each of her races by huge margins (19 lengths in total)
- Is a last-start winner at Caulfield so has handled the track and Melbourne way of racing
- Advantage is hers too coming off a win as 21 of the past 30 Blue Diamond winners won their previous start
Why Miracles Of Life Can’t be the Blue Diamond Stakes Winner 2013
- It’s a fairly big field with 13 runners and she could find herself in trouble from her barrier one draw
- Could the pressure of a Blue Diamond Stakes get to apprentice hoop Stojakovic?
- Is yet to race over further than 1000m and the step up to 1200m in such a lightly-raced filly could be her undoing
- Hasn’t run since her BD Preview win and the only past Blue Diamond winner to take out the classic having had their last start in the Preview was the David Hayes-trained Reaan (2008)
- As the favourite stats are also against her with only four punters’ picks winning since 1993, but both Sepoy (2010) and Samaready (2011) did so in the past two editions
- It may be the fillies the punters are backing this year but the colts and geldings have a better record in the race
Whether you’re backing or sacking this year’s Blue Diamond Stakes betting favourite make sure you get the best price on your selections by placing your bets online at bookmaker.com.au who are offering the best range of fixed win horse racing odds this autumn.
