Australian’s Looking To Rule in Blue Diamond Road

The Grade One Blue Diamond Road highlights the Victoria race card this Sunday. Fittingly eight of the runners were bred by Australian sires (a ninth is by Australian superstar sire Zoustar but was bred in England where he reverse shuttles). The field is headlined by grade three winner Anacosta with two other runners also having won stakes races. Let’s take a look at the field.

#1 Dazzling Dane 9/1

An Australian-bred gelding leads off our field. Dazzling Dane is a son of Red Dazzler out of a stakes winning King Kamehameha x El Prado mare. He is her sixth foal and most accomplished to date. Dazzling Dane didn’t make his first start until early March but it was a winning debut after taking the field wire to wire in a five and a half furlong maiden. He was second in his next two starts which were well spaced out, both at the allowance level. Most recently he was second by a neck in a residency restricted stakes coincidentally named after this race. In that spot he was a battling second all the way around and just couldn’t quite get by the front runner. He ran a very solid 87 speed in that spot.

#2 Rubick’s Son 26/1

Another Australian-bred comes next, this time a filly. Rubick’s Son is a daughter of Rubick (no surprise there) out of a Miesque’s Son x Empire Maker mare. Her two older siblings are both claimers. Rubick’s Son broke her maiden in February in a six furlong maiden claiming event and she was taken out of that race for $6,250 by her current connections. She added a win in an allowance two starts later with both wins coming in wire to wire fashion. Most recently she was second in an allowance going six furlongs versus males while running a 73 speed.

#3 Green Mehmas 10/1

Green Mehmas won both of his first two starts starting in early February with a five and a half furlong residency restricted maiden. In that spot he sat midpack early on but closed nicely to win going away. He returned in non-residency restricted allowance where he employed similar tactics going six furlongs while running a 75 speed. He repeated that number in his subsequent start, the Grade Three Salisbury Medallion again at six furlongs. In that spot he was closer to the front early and before tiring late. Most recently he was eighth in a grade two where he never really got into the race. He’s a son of Mehmas out of a stakes producing Invincible Spirit x Sebring mare.

#4 Purple Bow 11/1

The first of our stakes winning entrants is the gelding Purple Bow. He’s a son of Brazen Beau out of an Oasis Dream x Kingmambo mare. He is her first stakes winner. Purple Bow is a perfect three for three in his young career. He broke his maiden going wire to wire in late March in a six furlong maiden restricted to Australian-breds. Facing a similar restriction in his next start, an allowance going six and a half furlongs he employed similar tactics and while he opened up an over four length lead he was nearly run down, winning by just a quarter of a length. Most recently he earned that stakes winner badge by an even shorter margin – just a neck – but by running an 86 speed. He again won that race going wire to wire. He’ll be tough here but there will be a lot of company out front early on.

#5 Exit Joy 60/1

Exit Joy is the second longest shot in the field and our second filly in the field. She broke her maiden in early February in a Turkey-bred maiden claiming event from which she was claimed for $25,000. She returned to run off the board in two events open to all breeds before most recently running off the board in another local bred race, this time an allowance. She debuted with a 53 speed and has only increased her top number to 58. Her only win came going wire to wire but she has not been on the lead at any point in her more recent starts. She’s a daughter of Las Exit out of a Giant’s Causeway x Kitten’s Joy mare who has not been a great producer. Second dam is a grade one winner and grade one producer.

#6 Derpertar 28/1

A daughter of first year sire Onesto, Derpertar is coming off a second place finish in a four and a half furlong claiming event. She had previously broke her maiden in a similar race after running off the board in two maiden claiming races in a career that started in mid-April. Her top speeds are 68s which she ran in both her debut and in her winning run two back. In her win she sat second early on before moving forward to the wire. She was produced from a Lope de Vega x Dubawi mare.

#7 Judge King 7/2

The favorite in this spot is the undefeated Judge King. He’s making his stakes debut in this spot and is wheeling back relatively quickly off of his last race. He made his winning debut in a residency restricted maiden in April where he went wire to wire with an 81 speed. Given two months off he won a first level allowance in similar fashion with a very strong 87 speed before adding an open allowance going six furlongs five weeks later. Again coming in off a five week layoff he’ll have to contend with a lot of company on the front end but certainly he has quality. He’s also one of the better bred horses in the field as a son of Kingman out of a grade three winning Giant’s Causeway x Kingmambo mare. She has produced two grade two winners and three other stakes winners in her career.

#8 Undead Saint 7/1

Another stakes winner in the race is Undead Saint. A scratchbred son of I Am Invincible x Danehill x Kris S., he has made four starts and has yet to be off the board. Unlike so many others in the field he is a deep closer who should relish the expected contested early pace. He broke his maiden in January in a n Australian-bred allowance. He returned two months later and was third in an allowance run over an off track. Two months later he won his stakes race at six furlongs with an 81 speed. Again two more months later he returned in the Grade Two July Stakes, also at six furlongs. In that spot he closed stoutly from next to last to finish second by just ½ lengths with an 85 speed. He is running at just six weeks since his last start but that shouldn’t be a problem.

#9 Logan’s Quest 8/1

Logan’s Quest is one of two horses in the field who has already made six starts. He’s won two of them with an additional two more in the money efforts but his two off the board races have come in his last two starts. Both of those races came in stakes races, one listed and one grade three. Prior to that his two wins both came at six and a half furlongs in a maiden and then an allowance events. His maiden saw him go wire to wire while in the allowance he was a battling second early on. His career best speed is an 85 which was run in his most recent race, the grade three where he finished fifth. He’s a son of Zoustar based on a stakes winning Dark Angel x Frankel hemare who is a half to two graded winners.

#10 Anacosta 7/1

Our only graded winner in the field is Anacosta. He is the other entrant with six starts under his belt and he’s won five of them while also finishing third in his other race. Interestingly four of his wins have come over off tracks, starting with his maiden back in February. His two firm turf races saw him finish third in a five furlong listed in April and later winning a six and a half furlong allowance in June. He followed that race up with a win in the Grade Three Golden HandGrenade stakes at seven furlongs over a good course. The deep closer ran an 85 and then an 86 speed in both of those starts. He’s a scratchbred son of Anamoe x Encosta de Lago x Montjeu.

#11 Hookshark 10/1

The second son of I Am Invincible in the field is this colt who was based on a stakes winning millionaire hemare by Carpe Diem x Medaglia D’oro. After an off the board March debut, Hookshark won his next two starts. The first was a six furlong maiden which saw him sit seventh early on, albeit not too far from the frontrunner before he took the lead around the far turn and won going away with a 75 speed. He returned in a first level allowance going six and a half furlongs next time out and this time was third, just off the the lead early on before making a similar move and winning by over a length with an 81 speed. He ran that same number in the Grade Two July Stakes just over a month ago where he was further from the front and while he rallied around the turn he tired a bit in the stretch run, finishing fourth.

#12 Pink Test 7/1

Another son of Anamoe is Pink Test. He is the first foal from a Giant’s Causeway x Distorted Humor mare. Pink Test broke his maiden first time out in early March in a five and a half furlong maiden. Wheeling back about six weeks later he was third in a residency restricted allowance at the same distance. In both of those races he was midpack early. About two months later he returned in a six furlong allowance restricted to Australian breds and he was much closer to the early lead before going to the front around the turn and holding on to win by a head with an 85 speed. Most recently he returned to residency restricted competition and was second early on before taking a brief lead and then getting run down to finish second by a head while running an 87 speed.

#13 Badstreetbrawler 8/1

Badstreetbrawler is a son of Street Boss, the sire of Anamoe. He’s making both his turf and his stakes debut in this spot. The colt was second in a six furlong allowance in May where he tried to take the field on a merry chase but after leading easily early on he tired late and was beaten two lengths with a 75 speed. His return effort was more successful. He ran in a seven and a half furlong maiden which was part of a Twitch stream and again he was on the lead early on, this time holding on to win by a quarter of a length with an 83 speed. His dam is a grade three winner by Ghostzapper x Seeking the Gold. Although she was primarily a dirt horse she did win one of her two starts on the turf. She has already produced two stakes winners from six other foals.

#14 Yozi Soda 61/1

The longest shot on the board in Yozi Soda. She’s a daughter of Northern River out of an Exceed and Excel x Spinning World mare. She broke her maiden in a six furlong maiden claimer which saw her run third early on and running a 73 speed. She has failed to get even close to that number in her subsequent three starts. In all three she was off the board and her speeds have been in the fifties. It’s difficult to see this filly hitting the board but anything is possible in this game.

Good luck to all!