Come Blue Diamond Day punters and racing fans are really in for a treat as an unbeaten colt and an unbeaten filly will face off.
Today Encosta De Lago filly One Last Dance drew poorly with gate 12 but in an excellent ride for jockey Luke Nolen, she had the speed and turn of foot to storm home and keep her perfect race record intact.
One Last Dance started the favourite in the Blue Diamond Prelude today paying $3.30 for the win at Luxbet after her last-start victory in the Preview on January 26 where she narrowly defeated Anevay.
Anevay was an early scratching from Caulfield Race 5 today and so didn’t get their chance at revenge.
Daivd Hayes’ Eramor and Glen Boss lead the field of fillies early, still ahead on the turn for home.
But on the straight One Last Dance displayed an explosive burst of speed to round them up and she bolted to the lead with 300m to go.
Pulling away One Last Dance won ahead of the Peter Snowden-trained Glissade.
Moody’s other runner Hallowell Belle had no luck in the run and was not disgraced finishing third.
One Last Dance’s victory has kept the $1 million Blue Diamond dream alive for Moody, who won two years ago with Reward For Effort.
The winning time from One Last Dance in the Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude was only marginally slower than Sepoy’s in the Colts & Geldings equivalent shaping the 2011 Blue Diamond Stakes showdown up as a scintillating affair.
With a good barrier draw and a bit of luck it could be One Last Dance who completes the Blue Diamond Treble this year in an upset over Sepoy.
It was disaster early in the Fillies Preview with jockey Michelle Payne falling from mount Suite Success after clipping the heels of another runner.
Payne is reported to be conscious and without serious injury.
Blue Diamond Stakes betting has briefly been suspended at the bookies following the Caulfield Previews today.
Make sure when markets reopen that you get the best prices on your Blue Diamond picks by betting online through Luxbet.
Luxbet also have the premium odds on the next CF Orr Stakes Day showdown with the $100,000 Listed Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) next up at 3:50pm (AEDST).
2011 Blue Diamond Fillies Preview Finishing Order
Finish | No. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 1 | ONE LAST DANCE(11) | Luke Nolen | Peter G Moody | 55.5 | 1-3.66 |
2nd | 4 | GLISSADE(1) | Mark Zahra | Peter Snowden | 55.5 | 0.8L |
3rd | 9 | HALLOWELL BELLE(3) | Craig Williams | Peter G Moody | 55.5 | 1.5L |
4th | 5 | HOLDONTOYAHORSES(5) | Damien Oliver | Mick Price | 55.5 | 1.7L |
5th | 6 | JESSICA ROSE(7) | James Winks | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | 55.5 | 3.0L |
6th | 12 | MISTAKENLY(8) | Michael Walker | Anthony Cummings | 55.5 | 4.2L |
7th | 3 | ERAMOR(10) | Glen Boss | David Hayes | 55.5 | 5.2L |
8th | 15 | QUENCH THE THIRST(9) | Michael Rodd | Mark Kavanagh | 55.5 | 8.7L |
9th | 11 | TUMBLE TURN(12) | Corey Brown | Paul Messara | 55.5 | 10.0L |
10th | 13 | OAMARU ROSE(4) | Craig Robertson | Wayne Nichols | 55.5 | 10.1L |
11th | 16 | RANSOM MOMENT(2) | Steven Arnold | David Hayes | 55.5 | 12.6L |
12th | 7 | HELPING HAND(13) | Craig Newitt | John P Thompson | 55.5 | 12.8L |
LR | 14 | SUITE SUCCESS(6) | Michelle Payne | Leigh Childs | 55.5 | |
Src | 2 | SPECTROLITE | Danny Nikolic | Robbie Laing | ||
Src | 8 | ANEVAY | Nicholas Hall | Tim Martin | ||
Src | 10 | ERVBEFEL | Dwayne Dunn | Michael Kent |
Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography