My Gladiola new Blue Diamond favourite after stunning Sandown display
Impeccably bred grey My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) was shortened to favouritism for the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) after an ultra–impressive debut victory in the fillies’ Blue Diamond Preview (Gr 3, 1000m) at Sandown on Saturday.
The seventh foal of triple stakes winner and $1.1 million broodmare Villa Verde (Not A Single Doubt), the John McArdle-trained My Gladiola lived up to two strong jump-out wins in scoring by 1.5 lengths as a $5.50 equal third-favourite.
Fellow $5.50 shot, Anthony and Sam Freedman’s Price Tag (Zoustar), took second at her third start, with Ciaron Maher’s second-starter Wiltshire Square (Wootton Bassett) a further 1.8 lengths back in third at $4.80. Palm Angel (Starspangledbanner), the $3.80 favourite, couldn’t replicate her debut win in the Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m), finishing fifth.
A $550,000 Inglis Easter purchase from breeders Kia Ora Stud by Redgum Racing, My Gladiola settled sixth on the fence for Jamie Mott, strode to the lead on the inside at the 300 metres, then kicked away with a paralysing burst of speed after two flicks with the whip at the 200-metre mark.
Suggesting fillies might have the edge on their male counterparts in Melbourne, as they did last year, she beat 11 rivals in a time of 56.50 seconds. One race earlier and also on a good 4, the six-horse males’ Preview was completed exactly one second slower, albeit with less pressure in a small field.
My Gladiola – who inherited her mother’s flashy grey coat – was turned in from $15 to $5 favouritism in all-in TAB markets for the Blue Diamond following the win, ahead of $6 shot Wodeton (Wootton Bassett).
McArdle stable representative Danielle Smith said My Gladiola would likely start in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr 3, 1100m) in two weeks on the road to the $2 million main event at Caulfield a further fortnight afterwards.
“Motty [Jamie Mott] was pretty confident that there were some gears there, so it was nice to see her do that today,” Smith said.
“All going well, pulling up well, she’ll head towards the [Blue] Diamond, but you know what two-year-olds are like – you’ve just got to take it one day at a time.
“I think John was talking about the Prelude, but again, we’ll just see how she pulls up. You don’t want to bottom the two-year-olds out going into a big race like the Diamond.
“We’ll take her home, wrap her up in cotton wool and hope she pulls up well.
“She is an absolute professional – everyone said her mum was pretty similar, and she walked around like a six-year-old gelding today.”
Mott was also enraptured with the filly’s display.
“I’m really excited by her, and I have been for quite a while,” he said. “She’s the real deal. She jumps good, she travels well, she’s sensible, she doesn’t overdo it. She’d only had two jump-outs, so there’s so much improvement to come.
“She hasn’t really been in amongst it before. Where I was was as close as she was comfortable, so that was a new experience for her, but once we straightened and balanced, and I gave her a squeeze, I knew I had the race won a long way out.
“I would have been happy for her to win by a small margin knowing how much improvement she does have, so knowing she does have the acceleration to put a field away like that is exciting.”
Kia Ora, who retained a share in My Gladiola, will offer Villa Verde’s latest foal, a grey filly by Pierro (Lonhro), as Lot 759 at Inglis Classic next month. The 14-year-old mare was covered last spring by Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon).
My Gladiola (2 f I Am Invincible – Villa Verde by Not A Single Doubt) became the 113th stakes winner for her triple champion sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), and his third two-year-old winner of the season, equal–fourth among Australian juvenile sires.