Williams’ Blue Diamond choices down to 3
Craig Williams’ Blue Diamond choices are down to three, including Lindsay Park’s Catchy.
Craig Williams’ Blue Diamond choices are down to three after Lindsay Park confirmed riders for two Coolmore-owned horses.
Wlliams will announce on Monday whether he rides Lindsay Park’s Catchy, the Ciaron Maher-trained Jukebox or Property from the Robert Smerdon stable in the Group One two-year-old feature at Caulfield on February 25.
“I had a good day on Saturday but I had a sleepless night,” Williams said.
“I wasn’t comfortable making a really difficult decision based on not doing my homework and having enough sleep.”
Lindsay Park senior trainer David Hayes said Coolmore had booked Ryan Moore and Damien Oliver to ride Formality and Tulip in the Blue Diamond.
A decision of which horse each jockey rides is yet to be made.
Hayes said the owners were starting to get a bit jumpy and wanted to lock away a jockey.
“Everyone was starting to panic on what he (Williams) was going to ride,” Hayes said.
“I thought we’d make it easier and told the owners to put your own jockey on, Ryan Moore and Damien Oliver.”
Catchy is the $6 Blue Diamond favourite following her win in Saturday’s Prelude for fillies with Jukebox, Formality and Pariah on the next line at $6.50.
Property, who is not nominated for the race with connections needing to pay a $55,000 late entry fee, is on the next line at $8 with Tulip at $9.
Hayes said although Williams faced an extremely difficult decision, he remained confident he would choose Catchy.
“It’s a tough one for him because he rides for all connections,” Hayes said.
“But if you’ve won three races on Catchy and you think she’s the next Miss Finland, you’d think he would pick her.”
Lindsay Park will also run Muraahib in the Blue Diamond with Steven Arnold booked for the ride with Wait For No One and Will’s Bid also in contention.
Eshtiraak, successful at Sandown on February 1 will follow a similar program to Seaburge last year by running over 1300m at Sandown February 22 in the lead-up to the Group Two VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Flemington on March 11.