Enthaar On Track For Blue Diamond Stakes
Boom two-year-old filly Enthaar tightened her grip on favouritism on the forthcoming major two-year-old races when she glided around to win the Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield.
Enthaar was seemingly under a double grip for the entire race by jockey Mark Zahra yet still won by two and a quarter lengths and recorded a time 57.28 seconds for the 1000 metres which was 1.31 seconds outside the course record on a Good 4 track.
Enthaar firmed from $3 into $2.10 for the Blue Diamond Stakes on February 20 with TAB fixed odds and also from $6 into $4.50 for the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on March 20.
Co-trainer Ciaron Maher said he hoped Enthaar could be the filly to break his Blue Diamond Stakes hoodoo.
“It’s a race which has eluded me. I still haven’t got over Jukebox (scratched by stewards in 2017 from the Blue Diamond Stakes),” Maher said.
“I suppose the natural precocity of her at such a young age is probably the most obvious and exciting thing and she has such a big frame and can obviously use it.”
“She was impressive. It’s great to have her back and she did it easily. She’s on target for the Blue Diamond.”
Maher said Enthaar had a lot of improvement to come as she was a bit soft as she had had one jump-out in the lead up to the race.
Her jockey Mark Zahra said he thought she raced a bit too fiercely in a recent trial win at Werribee and passed on some advice to Maher and David Eustace.
“I said she’s going to have to calm down a bit heading towards the Blue Diamond. I think she was a bit keen then and a bit keen in her work,” Zahra said.
The trainers heeded the advice and placed a cross-over noseband, ear muffs and tongue tie on first time.
Zahra said if Enthaar replicated that performance with her behaviour she’ll be able to run out the 1200 metres of the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Enthaar ($1.24 fav) defeated Ingratiating ($5) by 2 1/4 lengths with Fortunate Kiss ($41) 1 1/4 lengths away third.