Guelph sparkles in Blue Diamond lead-up

Saturday 26 January 2013, 2:07pm

While the main lead-up races to the Blue Diamond Stakes were in Melbourne on Saturday, Peter Snowden chose to keep Guelph at home at Warwick Farm to press her claims.

The filly won the 1000m race for two-year-olds and will now head south for the Blue Diamond Prelude in two weeks.

A daughter of Elusive Quality and 2007 Prelude winner Camarilla, Guelph was heavily supported from $2.10 to $1.90 and although she gave some concerns about her lack of speed early, she put in the big strides inside the final 200m to beat Good Job Bro ($10) by a length.

Early leader The Wesleyan ($8) finished third, another 3-1/2 lengths away.

"I thought she would be closer early," Snowden said.

"I thought she could hold her ground but like all good horses she came from that spot when it counted.

"She will have to be a bit closer in a Blue Diamond and she will go to the Prelude in a couple of weeks.

"She's a pretty tractable filly and might be a bit sharper next time.

"I had a filly (Montsegur) at Caulfield today so I decided to split them up."

Jockey Rodney Quinn also expected Guelph to show a little more toe early but said he was never concerned about the filly picking up her rivals.

"I expected her to show more speed early," he said.

"She was awkwardly placed the whole race but I thought she would pick them up and she did."

Guelph finished second at her only other start to Brilliant Bisc in the Gimcrack Stakes in October.

After winning the Prelude, Camarilla was an unlucky fourth to Sleek Chassis in the Group One Blue Diamond (1200m) but went on to claim a juvenile Group One win in the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes.

– AAP

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