Three-year-old Pied A Terre will join an elite group of champions if he can win the Group Two Blamey Stakes at Flemington.
Cox Plate-winning filly Surround was the last three-year-old Blamey winner in 1977 while Australian Cup winner Lord Dudley won in 1976 and Caulfield Cup winner Gay Icarus in 1971.
Hall Of Fame champion Tobin Bronze (1966) is the only other three-year-old winner in the last 50 years.
The Anthony Freedman-trained Specter is the other three-year-old in Saturday’s 1600-metre Blamey.
Trainer Peter Snowden has discovered the key to Pied A Terre is to space his runs and avoided running him against his more-celebrated stablemate Helmet in last Saturday’s Australian Guineas (1600m).
“It was tempting to run in the Guineas as the horses he beat last start probably made up 80 per cent of the Guineas field but we found the trick to him was to give him three or four weeks to help him get over a run,” Melbourne foreman Paul Snowden said.
Pied A Terre made it four wins from five starts when he beat Proliferate and Adamantium in the Group Two Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 11.
The Blamey will his third test against older horses.
He won the Sportingbet Premium Handicap (1200m) for 0-78 class horses at Moonee Valley on December 31 before finishing second to At The Heads in the Listed Manifold Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on January 14.
“We all know how hard it is for a three-year-old taking on older horses but he is starting to build a record,” Snowden said.
“He’s very impressive and just keeps winning.
“He dominates his races, gets up the on the speed which is half the battle.”
Snowden said Pied A Terre’s Autumn Stakes win was his best performance yet and, with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle, he will carry 54kg in the Blamey.
On Wednesday he opened $4.50 favourite with TAB Sportsbet but is now $4.80 second pick behind four-year-old Speediness who has been supported from $7 to $4.50.
Glen Boss will ride Speediness who has won his last two starts at Sale and Flemington and will carry 55kg .
Four-time Group One winner Wall Street is equal topweight with 59kg and is $7.50 after his first-up sixth to King Mufhasa in the Group One Futurity Stakes (1400m).
Centennial Park ($7), West Australian Ranger ($9) and Caulfield Cup runner-up Green Moon ($13) are other leading chances.
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