Big Sky ready to push his limits
Favourite out to defy trend against first-time 1,200m triers in Melbourne 2YO classic
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Big Sky (Ben Melham) winning the Group 3 Chairman's Stakes (1,000m) at Caulfield in Australia on Jan 31. The unbeaten colt will attempt 1,200m for the first time in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield on Feb 21, and will be ridden by Jordan Childs.
PHOTO: RACING PHOTOS
MELBOURNE – Whether Big Sky turns out to be anywhere near as good as Extreme Choice remains to be seen, but there are a number of similarities between the pair at this brief stage of their careers.
Just like Extreme Choice, Big Sky is trained by Mick Price (in partnership with Michael Kent Jr) and has been an easy winner of his only two starts heading into the A$2 million (S$1.79 million) Blue Diamond Stakes. He was overlooked by a jockey who had the choice of rides in the Diamond despite being favourite for the Group 1.
Also like Extreme Choice, Big Sky heads into the 1,200m race at Caulfield on Feb 21 without the benefit of a run beyond 1,000m.
Extreme Choice was able to extend his brilliance to 1,200m in the Diamond, something not a lot who have gone in off a 1,000m run have been able to achieve.
Since the turn of the century, 65 have gone to the Diamond without a run beyond 1,000m with Sleek Chassis (2007) and Reaan (2008) the only other winners.
There have also been four minor placegetters; runners-up Shaaheq (2010) and Reemah (2015) and third placegetters World Peace (2004) and Maka Ena (2009).
The market expectation around horses jumping at least 200m to the 1,200m of the Diamond has been five wins, with Extreme Choice – who started at 17-10 – one of four who started favourite.
Enthaar is the only one to start shorter than Extreme Choice, staggering into sixth position as a 7-5 chance in 2021, the same position Loving Gaby finished as 19-5 equal favourite in 2019, while Coleman could manage only 13th when the 12-5 market elect two years ago.
They are among 17 who have started at single-figure odds with Extreme Choice, Sleek Chassis (7-1) and World Peace (5-1) the only ones to have filled a trifecta slot.
Big Sky (16-5), who will be ridden by Jordan Childs after Ben Melham elected to ride Streisand (reviving memories of Damien Oliver’s decision to partner Flying Artie over Extreme Choice), shades stablemate Guest House (7-2) as favourite for Saturday’s race.
Godolphin colt Milsons Point and seven-figure Home Affairs yearling Lady Moscato are the others in this year’s Diamond who have not run beyond 1,000m, having each run twice over 1,000m.
Blue Diamond Prelude winners Streisand and Closer To Free are among the main dangers to the Price-Kent pair in Diamond betting, out to improve the outstanding record of the Preludes as a Diamond guide.
The Preludes have proven the key form reference since their introduction in the early 1980s, a trend that has only been strengthened of late with 12 of the past 15 Diamond winners having come through a Prelude.
Ten of those 12 filled a quinella slot in their 1,100m Prelude, including seven who did the double.
The colts and geldings quinella of Closer To Free and Guest House are joined by Eternal Warrior (third) and Eurocanto (sixth) out of the boys’ lead-up, while minor placegetters Chayan (second) and I Am Aria (third) join Streisand out of the fillies’ Prelude. RACING AND SPORTS
