Jamie Melham’s quest for a second-straight Blue Diamond Stakes success ramps up this weekend at Caulfield.
The recently-married jockey, who won last year’s $2 million Group 1 on the late Hayasugi as Jamie Kah, will team up with untapped Godolphin colt Aleppo Pine in the colts and geldings Prelude and Gin Spirit in the fillies division.
The 1100-metre Preludes are renowned as the best guides to the Blue Diamond and Melham, who also won last year’s fillies Preview and Prelude aboard Hayasugi, is exciting about seeing how they measure up.
“I really love these two-year-old races and I’m excited to see how these two go on the weekend because a lot can play out,” Melham said.
“I’m definitely not locking in one for the Diamond already, you’ve got to see how these two-year-olds perform in the next few weeks, which is really exciting.
“The Blue Diamond is so hard to win. I was fortunate enough to win on the beautiful Hayasugi last year and she was obviously talented, but she won it because she was just so advanced in her temperament and that’s what they need in two-year-old racing as well.”
The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Gin Spirit, a debut winner at Morphettville on January 25, is a $12 chance in the fillies Prelude, which is dominated by Blue Diamond My Gladiola, but Aleppo Pine is favourite for the boys division and second favourite for the Diamond.
The James Cummings-trained colt has also had one start for one win, when Jye Mcneil guided the son of Blue Point to a brilliant win at Ballarat on December 7, and the $300,000 Group 3 Prelude will be Melham’s first sit on Aleppo Pine.
She was unavailable for his two jumpouts in preparation for Saturday’s return, but got husband Ben Melham to warm the saddle in his impressive Caulfield Heath win last week and was buoyed by his report.
“I really liked his trial the other day and it take a lot to get Ben exited and he just said, ‘wow’,” Melham said.
“I called him afterwards and he just said, ‘wow, he’s a nice horse’, so that gives me a lot of encouragement.”
Aleppo Pine will start from barrier two in the 13-horse colts and geldings Prelude, while Gin Spirit has barrier six in the fillies Prelude, which also has a field of 13.
