2YO feature markets take shape

The Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper markets have taken further shape this weekend, with several key contenders stepping up and having their prices adjusted accordingly.

For the 1200-metre $2 million Caulfield feature, Coleman is all the rage in betting, with his dominant Chairman’s Stakes win seeing him crunched to $4* favouritism, replacing Preview winner High Octane who remains at his $5 quote.

Geelong Diamond winner Stay Focused has not been forgotten, nor has Lindsay Park’s Bold Bastille, both marked $8 chances after their respective winning debuts.

Eneeza is $9 after reeling off some rapid finishing sectionals behind Coleman on Saturday, while Maribyrnong Trial victor Bodyguard has also been kept quiet since his first run and is currently $11.

Kuroyanagi is the same price, ahead of Shangri La Express ($6 out to $14) and Hayasugi, Holmes A Court and Switzerland (all $15), though several of the NSW runners may not accept for the race, with more clarity to come from this weekend’s Group 3 Preludes.

But while the top five Blue Diamond chances come from five different stables, the Golden Slipper betting is all about Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, with the two-year-old specialists training four of the current top five in the market.

Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy has tightened from $4 to $3 in recent weeks, while aforementioned stablemate Shangri La Express sits at $8.

He shares this quote with Switzerland, who may be the only non-Waterhouse/Bott horse in the top five but does boast the same Waller/Coolmore colt combination that won the Slipper with Shinzo last year.

However, the next line of betting features Prost and Lady Of Camelot at $11, both from the Waterhouse and Bott yard, and both rushing into contention after impressive Group 3 wins at Rosehill on Saturday.

Prost found plenty in the 1100m Canonbury Stakes to beat a small but handy field that included last-start Flemington winner Traffic Warden.

— 7HorseRacing �� (@7horseracing) February 3, 2024

And just an hour later Lady Of Camelot would dominate the fillies’ equivalent two-year-old feature, the Widden Stakes, scoring by three lengths in a slick time of 1:02.53.

The wins were Waterhouse and Bott’s 101st and 102nd of the season, as the stable chases an incredible eighth Golden Slipper.

— 7HorseRacing �� (@7horseracing) February 3, 2024

*Prices correct on Sportsbet at the time of writing