Field Of Play and Palm Angel enter Blue Diamond reckoning
Field Of Play (Deep Field) replaced My Gladiola (I Am Invincible) at the head of the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) markets after he produced a strong win in the Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m) for the in-form Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young stable.
Shortly before My Gladiola had her colours lowered by Palm Angel (Starspangledbanner) in the equivalent race for fillies at Caulfield on Saturday, Field Of Play emerged as the horse to beat in Victoria’s pre-eminent contest for juveniles with a determined display under Blake Shinn.
Having commenced his racing career with a dominant debut win at Moonee Valley just after Christmas, Field Of Play is now two from two after defeating Yulong-owned $1.4 million colt Devil Night (Extreme Choice), who made an eye-catching debut to finish half-a-length away in second. Wendy Kelly’s longshot Katsumi Orochi (Maurice) a further two lengths away in third place.
Bred by Verna Metcalfe and Ted and Sandra Beirs, the gelding is the third winner from three foals to race from Californiasurprise (I Am Invincible), whose dam Camporella (Exceed And Excel) was a Group 3 winner for Western Australia trainer Dan Morton.
Purchased from the 2022 Inglis Broodmare Sale for $140,000 by the Beirs family, Californiasurprise was covered by the 2021 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Artorius (Flying Artie) last season. Her filly by Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) was acquired by Grahame Begg and Rohan Hughes for $300,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last month.
Field Of Play’s connections hadn’t nominated him for the Blue Diamond Stakes but after collecting a cheque for $210,600, the $55,000 late acceptance fee would appear to be a formality.
“It’s an easy decision to make when you’re running around for $2 million [in the Blue Diamond Stakes],” said Young, who was celebrating a double following victory for Emphasize (Embellish) earlier in the day.
“Blake just rode him absolutely fantastic. He said, ‘I’ll just ride him like he’s the best horse in the race’, which he did and he got the job done.
“I was thinking he wouldn’t have that turn of foot, but we had to get going because the favourite [Aleppo Pine] was going to be off and gone and we didn’t want to be waiting for it.
“I just hoped, once he balanced up and got on the right leg, that he’d find another gear and he did. It was great to see, and it’s fantastic to know that we’re going to be back here in a fortnight chasing a Blue Diamond.
“It was a good effort to be six weeks between runs and deliver that sort of time and win like that. He’ll be better as a three-year-old obviously, but he keeps winning and the Blue Diamond is only two weeks away, so if he pulls up great through the week that’s where we’ll be going.”
Busuttin and Young saddled up the now Yulong-based sire Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) to Blue Diamond glory back in 2020, but Shinn is chasing a first success in the blue-ribbon event.
Such is his desire to add the Blue Diamond to his long list of achievements in the saddle, Shinn – perhaps with his tongue placed firmly in his cheek – even offered to dig deep into his pockets to contribute towards the late acceptance fee.
“I’d be putting a bit of my percentage up, I’d imagine off he’s going to be one of the favourites off the back of that win,” he said.
“He’s already won over 1200 metres and he’s just a really beautiful horse to ride. I’ve ridden a lot of nice two-year-olds over my time, and he’s got a little bit of a way to go to be like a Capitalist, but he’s a very impressive horse.
“He’s taken a step up from the Moonee Valley. It’s always a bit of an unknown coming in to know where you’re going to sit, but he really put his hand up today.
“Congratulations to Trent and Nat and Mike Kneebone, and the whole ownership group. He’s a very exciting horse, he’s got a wonderful constitution and a great attitude which is holding him in such great stead at this early stage of his career.”
Field Of Play (2 g Deep Field – Californiasurprise by I Am Invincible) was initially bought by Kaha Nui Farm for $225,000 at the 2023 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale from the Middlebrook Valley Lodge draft, before being snapped up by Jamie Richards and Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $500,000 at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale a few months later.
In winning Saturday’s Group 3, Field Of Play becomes I Am Invincible’s eighth individual winner as a broodmare sire and the group also includes Group 1-winning pair Asfoora and Kimochi.