Peter Moody is down to one runner in the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.
The trainer will be relying on Hell Of An Effort in the $1.5 million race on Saturday if the colt continues to please him during the week.
Hell Of An Effort
A winner at his first two starts, Hell Of An Effort finished at the tail of the field in the Inglis Premier over 1200m at Caulfield on February 6.
But the spark was back when Hell Of An Effort wore blinkers in a Caulfield jump-out last week.
However, Moody said before he commits to a start he wants to have another look at the colt in trackwork.
“His run the other day was too bad to be true but we’ve had him looked over and couldn’t find anything wrong,” Moody said.
Hell Of An Effort won on debut at Geelong in December before scoring up the straight at Flemington.
While Moody is looking at having one runner, the Lindsay Park operation of David Hayes and Tom Dabernig could have up to four in Melbourne’s premier two-year-old race.
Already in the field are Valliano, Highland Beat and Zamzam with Hayes hopeful Seaburge cane make the line-up.
Valliano was successful in the Inglis Premier at his first run since the spring while Highland Beat chased Blue Diamond favourite Extreme Choice home in the Chairman’s Stakes on the same day.
After winning on debut, Zamzam finished ninth in the fillies division of the Blue Diamond Prelude on February 13.
Seaburge appeals to Hayes as a strong Blue Diamond hope but at this stage sits outside the field of likely runners.
“I hope he makes the field,” Hayes said.
“He looks to me as an ideal Blue Diamond horse as he gets back and finishes strongly.”
Seaburge won his only start at Pakenham last month.
Hayes already has a record five Blue Diamond wins with the training partnership looking for its first.
