Connections of impressive trial winner Deja Blue will go chasing the money instead of black type when the filly makes her debut at Sandown.
The Robbie Griffiths-trained two-year-old has been nominated for two races on Saturday, a sales-restricted race worth $250,000 and a Group Three with prize money of $150,000.
With the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 28 looming, prize money is all important for the make-up of Victoria’s premier two-year-old race.
The Melbourne Racing Club says prize money for the winners of races restricted to two-year-olds in specific sales events will count towards Blue Diamond entry.
Deja Blue will line up in the Inglis Premier (1000m), a race restricted to graduates of the 2014 Melbourne Premier sale, rather than the Chairman’s Stakes over the same distance.
A daughter of Denman, Deja Blue won a Cranbourne trial last Thursday and Griffiths said if the filly was lucky enough to win on Saturday he would entertain running her in the Blue Diamond.
“The whole two-year-old landscape could change in the next couple of weeks,” Griffiths said.
“Everyone’s hanging back and kicking off their two-year-olds this Saturday and in the Preludes and they don’t want to over-race them.
“They’re all trying to come in at the same time and hope they don’t go shin sore.”
Saturday’s two races, the two Blue Diamond Preludes at Caulfield on Saturday week and the Talindert Stakes at Flemington on February 21 will help shape the field along with races in Sydney.
Griffiths said it was difficult to weigh up whether to attempt black type in the Chairman’s Stakes or to chase the prize money in the Inglis Premier.
“The black type would be good for the filly factor in the Chairman’s but the money factor and the fact that not everyone can run in it, like the Godolphin home-breds, is another,” Griffiths said.
“I’ve told the owners we’re going to run in the Inglis race.”
