Zamzam emerges as Blue Diamond contender

Sunday 31 January 2016, 6:30pm

Regally bred filly Zamzam is as short as $13 for the Blue Diamond Stakes after her impressive win at Moonee Valley.

Trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig bypassed the Blue Diamond Previews earlier last week, instead taking her to a lesser race on Friday night.

By Redoute's Choice out of Fleur De'here, a sister of Group One winner Tully Thunder, Zamzam came from behind to upset odds-on favourite Gridelin.

"She was impressive," Dabernig said.

"I think there's a lot of improvement there still to come. She was green and still stargazed a bit when she hit the front."

Dabernig said Zamzam, a $920,000 yearling, would probably contest the fillies division of the Blue Diamond Preludes next on February 13 although there is the option of going straight to the Group One feature.

"The Blue Diamond is a month away, so we'll probably lean to running in the Prelude next," Dabernig said.

"She sprinted well on Friday night but I think in time she's going to be better over 1400 metres and a mile maybe."

Hayes has already won a record five Blue Diamonds on his own while the training partnership is looking for its first.

Hayes used a Moonee Valley race to launch the career of Gregers in 2013 before she finished fourth in the Blue Diamond at her second start.

Reemah also came through a Moonee Valley race in her second career start last year before running second in the Blue Diamond.

Dabernig said they went into Friday's race with conservative expectations against Godolphin filly Gridelin who had beaten Zamzam in a barrier trial at Sandown.

"But it was how you like to see them win," Dabernig said.

While Zamzam has emerged as the Lindsay Park's leading hope on exposed form, the stable still has other youngsters in Blue Diamond contention.

"We've got two or three to run in the colts division of the Preludes," Dabernig said.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »