Diamond searching for next two-year-old trial treasure at Kensington
G1G Racing and Breeding share in ownership of ten juveniles stepping out in Sydney heats
For Gary Diamond, the official two-year-old barrier trials in Sydney is his favourite day of the year but because of Covid-19 the NSW prominent owner and breeder will not be at Randwick for the heats.
The G1G Racing and Breeding operation, run by Diamond’s daughter Tracy Vogel, will be aiming for a remarkable fifth ATC Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) win in six years and this season there are ten potential candidates under the syndicate’s ownership who have the chance to add to the record.
A strong supporter of the James Harron Bloodstock colts syndicate as well as the Newgate Farm-China Horse Club partnership, which is managed by Henry Field, Diamond also shares in the ownership of Global Quest (More Than Ready), who won the 2019 Breeders’ Plate wearing the Aquis Farm colours, as well as dual Group 1-winning colt King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice).
The duo appeared at last year’s official two-year-old session on the Kensington track, with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained King’s Legacy subsequently clinching a significant stud deal after claiming the Inglis Sires (registered as ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes) (Gr 1, 1400m) and ATC Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) double.
At last year’s official barrier trials, Diamond was represented in each heat by a total of 25 juveniles but this time a more conservative approach from trainers and connections has led to ten lining up on the Kensington track this morning.
Among them are colts by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), Fastnet Rock (Danehill), Deep Field (Northern Meteor) and Sebring (More Than Ready) as well as horses by first season sires Capitalist (Written Tycoon), Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) and Star Turn (Star Witness).
Diamond revealed that some of the Newgate Farm-China Horse Club colts could head to Melbourne for early two-year-old races while the Harron-led syndicate also spread its 2020 purchases among a few different trainers including Anthony and Sam Freedman in Victoria.
As for expectations today, Diamond is not getting ahead of himself.
“I have gone past getting nervous but my favourite day at the races is tomorrow,” Diamond told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday from Queensland.
“I did contemplate going down for the trials and coming back and spending two weeks in quarantine, but when you see what some people are going through in quarantine I thought no.
“It’s one of the fun days of the year, that particular day, and I am just so disappointed because of the coronavirus that I won’t be there.”
Capitalist, who completed the 2016 Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m)-Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) double, started the extraordinary Breeders’ Plate streak for Diamond and six seasons later he has first crop two-year-olds by him at the opening trial session.
Diamond part-owns two of them, the $600,000 James Harron Bloodstock-purchased Magic Millions Yearling Sale graduate Kalashnikov (heat two) and the $550,000 China Horse Club, Newgate and Starlight Racing-selected Captivant who is accepted for heat ten.
Harron’s colts syndicate also has Oblique (I Am Invincible), a $260,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate, in heat eight and Star Turn colt Astrologer in heat ten. The latter was a $300,000 Magic Millions graduate from the Edinglassie Thoroughbreds draft.
The Newgate-China Horse Club partnership also has Revivalist, a $380,000 son of Arrowfield shuttler Shalaa, in heat six and the $825,000 Sebring half-brother to the Hawkes Racing-trained Masked Crusader (Toronado) who is entered for heat eight.
G1G Racing and Breeding retained a share in the Harron selected and raced Capitalist when he went to stud at Field’s Newgate Farm, so the affection for that horse is obvious, but Diamond says type plays as much a role as pedigree in the horses he buys into with the respected pair.
“Basically you have a situation with Henry and James, they go out and look at the horses and then they look at the breeding,” he said.
“They buy what they consider to be value for money and on type as well. They don’t just buy horses they’ve had something to do with, they’re out there trying to get the best horses for their groups regardless of who they are by.”
The advanced mental and physical capacity of the young horses is a big reason as to why the two-year-olds trialling today have made it this far so early in the season, but Diamond admits there is still a long way to go before these horses confirm their ability.
“They all mature at different points and trainers know when they’re right, when they should go and when they shouldn’t. Basically, G1G Racing and Breeding stays out of it to let the experts do what they do best,” he said.
“With James and his horses, he keeps us up to date – and so does Henry – with what they’re doing.”
Diamond has owned enough horses to know not to get carried away by early September “talk” but remains hopeful of a strong showing today.
“At this time of the year, if you talk to trainers they’ve all got champions in the stables and they’ve all got Group 1 winners and Slipper winners,” he said.
“And that might be an exaggeration, but … in the next four to six weeks, those horses come out and tell you whether the hype was justified or not.”
There are nine two-year-old barrier trials, to be held following a course proper open company heat over 850 metres headlined by Nature Strip (Nicconi). The first heat is set to jump at 9am.