Property earns shot at Blue Diamond Stakes
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21 Feb Property earns shot at Blue Diamond Stakes

Posted at 07:23h in Racing by

Property (StarCraft x Opalize) will be given his chance to achieve a rare feat in the $1.5 million Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes.

The owners of the Robert Smerdon-trained Property have paid the $55,000 late entry fee to put him in the field and he will jump from barrier three.

Property has already won the colts and geldings’ divisions of the Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude and can become just the fifth horse to make a clean sweep of the respective Blue Diamond series races.

Sepoy (2011) is the most recent while Bel Esprit (2002), Midnight Fever (1987) and Rancher (1982) also achieved the feat.

“He had to win the Prelude to warrant going on and he has done that so he earned his chance,” Smerdon said.

“And that’s what we’re doing, rolling the dice.

Craig Williams rode Property in the Preview and Prelude but elected to stick with Catchy so champion Hong Kong jockey Joao Moreira is flying in on Friday to take the ride on Property who will gallop on the Caulfield course proper on Tuesday.

He unleashed an impressive turn of foot in the Prelude and Smerdon doesn’t see the rise from 1100m to 1200m as a concern.

“Nothing I have seen of him suggests that he lacks strength,” Smerdon said.

He said he didn’t believe the gelding had improvement from the Prelude but it was just a matter of keeping him ticking over for the Diamond.

Smerdon has won the Blue Diamond once, with Let’s Get Physical 32 years ago. -AAP