Extreme Choice will be out to confirm his Blue Diamond favouritism when he makes his return with a new jockey aboard in the Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield.
The Inglis Nursery winner will make his second race appearance in Saturday’s 1000m-Group Three race for two-year-olds with Damien Oliver to ride.
Extreme Choice
Glyn Schofield rode Extreme Choice in his impressive two-length debut win at Randwick on December 12 but is suspended until February 14.
Oliver rode Extreme Choice in a jump-out at Caulfield last week.
“He gave me a nice feel,” Oliver said.
“He’s a nice two-year-old. Very precocious. I’m pretty happy to be riding him.”
Extreme Choice is at $5 in the TAB’s Blue Diamond market with Gimcrack Stakes winner Calliope and the Snowden Racing-trained Canonbury Stakes runner-up Defcon at $8.
Miss Nymeria and Weatherly, eye-catching runners in the respective Previews last Tuesday, and Zamzam share the next line of betting at $13.
Blake Shinn will ride Defcon who finished second to Godolphin colt Tessera on a heavy Rosehill track on Saturday.
Zamzam stormed into Blue Diamond contention with a strong win on debut at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
“I still think it’s pretty early doors yet as far as the form picture for the Blue Diamond goes,” Oliver said.
“There’s probably still some nice ones to come out and I don’t think it’s fully exposed yet. But he (Extreme Choice) can’t do any more than what he’s done so far. He’s a nice horse.”
Trainer Mick Price has elected to run Extreme Choice three weeks before the Blue Diamond in the Chairman’s, rather than take in either the Preview last Tuesday or the Prelude on Saturday week.
Oliver said he had not yet locked in a Blue Diamond ride.
