Enbihaar has held on to win the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude F (1100m) at Caulfield this afternoon; stamping herself as a filly to follow into the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes in a fortnight.
The Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies was delayed as race favourite Oohood underwent a vet check after she was fractious in the gates, but jockey Stephen Baster allowed the filly to stride forward and take a position on pace when the race eventually jumped.
Setting a fair tempo in transit alongside the likes of Lake District Girl, the Magnus filly kicked clear upon arriving at the final straight and maintained a strong enough run to beat a fast-finishing Oohood on the line, who flew home from the second half of the field.
Lake District Girl also boxed on well to finish third, while the resuming Seabrook is sure to take plenty of benefit from her smart run for fourth.
Baster delivered a smart ride aboard the filly this afternoon and is confident she will improve into the Blue Diamond Stakes 2018.
“She didn’t do everything right, she’s a bit new so I think she’s still got improvement in her,” Baster said after the race.
“They (Lindsay Park) do a good job with their babies. They can keep them up for a long time and they turn up to the races looking like serious race horses and I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”
Co-trainer Ben Hayes was on hand for Enbihaar’s Blue Diamond Prelude win and revealed that the Lindsay Park team have always been confident in her abilities.
“She was excellent when she went over to Adelaide, she did it all on the speed and today she was very strong to the line, so we’re thrilled,” Hayes said.
“At home she beat a nice two-year-old we have quite well, so it gave us a bit of confidence coming into this race today.”
Enbihaar has firmed into odds of $15 from $26 in our Blue Diamond Stakes market following this afternoon’s win, while Oohood is one of only three horses currently available at a single-figure quote ($8.50).