High Octane full throttle in Blue Diamond Preview
Newgate Farm, the China Horse Club and Snowden Racing flexed their two-year-old muscle with a one-two finish as High Octane (Deep Field) beat home Holmes A Court (Capitalist) in the colts and geldings’ Blue Diamond Preview (L, 1000m) at Caulfield yesterday.
High Octane – Deep Field’s (Northern Meteor) most expensive yearling as a $1.05 million purchase last Easter – lived up to his $3.10 favourite’s rating with a slashing win, muscling home in the straight to score by three-quarters of a length despite veering in slightly late on.
Holmes A Court – Capitalist’s (Written Tycoon) fourth-top seller as a $850,000 buy at the Gold Coast – raced well above his $21 quote in settling off the hindquarter of second-favourite Innervisions (I Am Invincible), then giving High Octane a battle in the last 100 metres before finally being overcome.
Innervisions held on for third, a stark three lengths behind Holmes A Court.
Peter and Paul Snowden pair, also co-owned by Go Bloodstock and Trilogy, firmed sharply in betting for the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Caulfield on February 24, with High Octane made favourite at $5, and Holmes A Court at $15.
High Octane, who started favourite after winning two Sydney barrier trials on either side of a break, clocked 57.94 seconds for the 1000m, 0.13 seconds faster than the time set in the fillies’ Preview one race earlier.
Bred and sold by Segenhoe Stud, High Octane is the second foal of Brisbane Listed winner Granny Red Shoes (Not A Single Doubt). He became Deep Field’s second million-dollar yearling when sold last year, only a week before Newgate announced the then 12-year-old’s retirement due to fertility issues. More scopey than the average Deep Field, his price far outstripped the $280,000 paid for his half-sister by Pierro (Lonhro), who died before she could race.
A half-brother by Zoustar is to be sold, also through the Segenhoe draft, at this year’s Easter sale. Granny Red Shoes now has a colt foal at foot by Capitalist, and was covered by Dundeel in November.
“They both ran terrific,” co-trainer Peter Snowden said after yesterday’s race. “There was not a lot between them in their work at home and I thought there’d be a bit more in the finish of a race, but both colts ran exceptionally well.
“High Octane will improve a lot. He only had the one trial coming into this. He got lost a fair way out, wobbling around that corner, but he just showed his class late. He’s a talented horse and no doubt he’ll take good benefit from today’s run.”
Snowden said while Holmes A Court had become “a bit revvy” when saddled yesterday, High Octane was “bombproof – a real professional”.
Both would run in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr 3, 1100m) on February 10, hopefully en route to the Blue Diamond, he said.
High Octane’s Melbourne-based jockey Mark Zahra had ridden the colt in his Canterbury barrier trial win on January 9, and said while he had impressed him, he hadn’t expected him to be as forward yesterday as he was.
“He went well but I said to Peter, ‘He’s got ability but he’s not there yet. Give him another trial’,” Zahra said.
“I think they looked at the noms for this race and said they’d treat it as a trial and we might win anyway, and then he came up as the favourite.
“Me and Peter were on the same page today, and said he’s got to be ridden to finish because he’s not wound up at all for the race. He lost the plot a few times in the race but his ability got him over the line.
“I travelled like the winner the whole way. He just had to come off the bridle. He was a bit wayward but he got it done.
“He’s a beautiful horse to ride. Obviously he’s an expensive colt, so you’d expect him to be a good type. But he cantered to the gates perfect, stood in the gates well. He improved a heap on the other day and I’d think he’ll improve on today.”
High Octane becomes Deep Field’s third two-year-old winner of the season from six runners, and his second overall stakes-winner after Karli’s Karma, a six-year-old Group 3 winner in Perth.
He also became Deep Field’s 101st winner of 2023-24, after the stallion hit three figures an hour earlier at Kilcoy with four-year-old mare Bie’res. Despite his retirement, Deep Field sits third by winners on the Australian general sires’ table behind Zoustar (Northern Meteor) 126 and I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) 109.
He also rang up his fourth career elite-level winner through Voyage Bubble in last weekend’s Stewards’ Cup (Gr 1, 1600m) in Hong Kong, where he’s the current season’s runaway leading sire by winners and earnings.
Zahra put a double gilt edge on his reputation for judgment last spring in twice choosing Without A Fight (Teofilo) over Gold Trip (Outstrip) and being rewarded with the Caulfield and Melbourne cups. He may have another choice to make ahead of the Blue Diamond.
The gun jockey had in fact flown to Sydney on January 9 primarily to ride High Octane’s stablemate Bodyguard (I Am Invincible), who ran second in his heat to another James Harron colts syndicate stablemate Fearless (Pierata).
Bodyguard, an imposing winner of his only start in Flemington’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (L, 1000m) under Craig Williams on October 7, was last night an $8 third-favourite for the Blue Diamond.
Blue Stratum (Blue Point), the only one of yesterday’s nine starters with race experience after two starts for a Group 3 second at Flemington and a Listed fourth at Randwick, was easy in the market as a $5 chance and, despite the addition of blinkers, was disappointing in fading from third to finish a well beaten sixth.