Prominent owners Barrie and Midge Griffiths have taken a $55,000 gamble and paid the late entry fee to put Formidable in Saturday’s Group One Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.
The Strada filly will be the Griffiths’ first runner in the $1 million feature for two-year-olds over 1200 metres.
The Griffiths have had their share of luck racing Group One winners such as Melbourne Cup winner Tawrrific, Caulfield Cup winner Mannerism, Northwood Plume, Azzurro and Response but are stepping into new territory with a two-year-old.
“When you’ve got 12 or 13 yearlings coming through every year it gets quite expensive,” said Simon Zahra who co-trains Formidable with Mat Ellerton.
“She’s actually Barrie’s first Blue Diamond runner. He’s never had early two-year-old runners so that is the price you pay unfortunately and we are happy to be going to the race.”
Zahra and Ellerton won the 2010 Golden Slipper with the ill-fated Crystal Lily after she finished sixth to Star Witness in the Blue Diamond.
Barrie Griffiths paid $20,000 for Formidable at the Classic Yearling Sale in Sydney and she has earned $83,200 prize money from her three starts, placing her eighth in qualifying order.
“We normally just wait until they are three-year-olds before they race but this one is a bit of an exception,” Griffiths said.
Formidable surprised connections with her debut win in the Better Beyond Plate (1000m) at Flemington on January 14.
She has since run second twice, to Mama’s Choice in the Listed Chairman’s Stakes (1100m) on February 4 and behind Diamond favourite Samaready in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) for fillies a week later, both at Caulfield.
Chris Symons, who has ridden Formidable in all her starts, will be aboard again on Saturday.
“If she can draw a gate it’s going to be ideal for her if she can land on the speed and create her own luck,” Zahra said.
“At Caulfield last start on the back-up she was probably left a bit flat-footed and we’ve kept her nice and fresh.
“She’s in good order.”
Final acceptances accompanied by a $5500 fee close at 9am on Tuesday after which the 65 juveniles in the race will be reduced to a final field of 16 plus four emergencies with the barrier draw later in the day.
The Mick Price-trained Samaready, unbeaten in two starts including her impressive 3-1/4 length victory over Formidable in the Prelude, is $2.10 favourite with TAB Sportsbet.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained filly No Looking Back, who was relegated to second to stablemate Driefontein in the Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast, is second pick at $8, with Jimando at $10, The Travelling Man at $12 and Mama’s Choice at $15.
Formidable was put into the market on Monday at $17.
AAP TURF
