Australia: Blue Diamond Stakes should help clear up Golden Slippper picture

There is no clear favorite in Saturday’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia just as there no standout in the next race for some of the same runners, the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes on March 21.

The $1.4 million Blue Diamond Stakes is run at six furlongs, the same distance as the $3.51 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, the world’s richest race for 2-year-olds.

As of Wednesday, Big Sky (4-1), Unit Five (5-1), and Guest House (9-2) led the betting in a full field of 16 in the Blue Diamond Stakes. They were 14-1, 20-1 and 25-1 for the Golden Slipper, a race currently led by joint 8-1 favorites Hidrix and Warwoven.

Those figures could change significantly after the Blue Diamond, which has a post time of 12:15 a.m. Eastern or 9:15 p.m. Pacific on Friday.

Big Sky and Unit Five are both unbeaten after two starts, and won stakes in their last starts.

Big Sky won the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at five furlongs at Caulfield on Jan. 31, leading throughout five furlongs. The Blue Diamond Stakes will be his first start at six furlongs. Unit Five closed from ninth of 13 to win the $2.01 million Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic Stakes at six furlongs at Gold Coast Racecourse on Jan. 17.

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Guest House won his debut in a five-furlong handicap at Cranbourne Racecourse on Dec. 27, and was third by a length after a troubled start in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude Stakes for colts and geldings at 5 ½ furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 7.

Hidrix and Warwoven are not racing this weekend.

Hidrix has started once, winning the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Jan. 31. Warwoven is unbeaten in two starts since late December, a five-furlong allowance race and a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Saturday’s Caulfield program includes two Group 1 races for 3-year-olds and older horses worth $527,700 – the Oakleigh Plate at 5 1/2 furlongs and the Futurity Stakes at seven furlongs.

Treasurethe Moment, the Australian champion 3-year-old filly of the 2024-2025 season, was even-money in early betting for the Futurity Stakes, which drew nine. Treasurethe Moment, a four-time Group 1 winner, has lost her last starts, but can be effective on Saturday.

Last August, Treasurethe Moment returned from a four-month layoff to win the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield. Saturday’s race is Treasurethe Moment’s first start since a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Cantala Stakes at a mile at Flemington Racecourse in November.

Pericles, second in the Cantala in his last start, and Evaporate, third by two lengths in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield in February will test Treasurethe Moment. Pericles has been second and eighth in the last two runnings of the Futurity.

The Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old Point Barrow will carry low weight of 110.2 pounds against 13 rivals in the Oakleigh Plate. The low weight assignment has left Point Barrow as the early 2-1 favorite to win for the fifth time in her seventh start.

The Oakleigh Plate is Point Barrow’s first start against older horses. A closer, she starts from post 10.

Tropicus, who will carry 129 pounds, is the 6-1 second choice on the basis of two Group 3 wins last February and August.

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