Miss Gidget is one of 15 juveniles set to contest the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m), which is running at Caulfield Racecourse this Saturday, and while she’s a roughie in the betting her trainer Cindy Alderson believes natural improvement and solid form will help her shine bright in the race.
Cindy Alderson is confident Miss Gidget (inside) can improve in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.
Robert Smerdon’s unbeaten filly Fontiton is the $2.50 firm favourite in the Blue Diamond betting at Ladbrokes.com.au after drawing the ideal inside barrier while Miss Gidget has seen her price lengthen from $21 out to $31.
The filly will have to overcome a wide start from barrier 10 with Ben Melham in the saddle for the first time but Alderson is keen to remind punters that she ran second to the race favourite in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude (1100m) last time out.
“She came up against the unbeaten Fontiton in testing conditions for her first start this time in, so hopefully she got some improvement out of that race,” Alderson told Racing Victoria.
“It was a pretty strong, tough race and was run at a fast speed, so she’s had some natural improvement from that run and has tightened up in her racing a lot since then.
“Her work since then has been good, so I’m pretty positive that she can run well.
“She would need to improve again, as do a lot of them, but hopefully she can.
Miss Gidget has yet to win a race from her three starts since November so Alderson knows she must improve to figure in the 2015 Blue Diamond Stakes. However the filly has already tightened up a lot in her racing since the Prelude two weeks ago.
The filly made her debut in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) on November 15, in which she was just a short half-head behind winner Thurlow, who is the current market mover of the Blue Diamond betting, before finishing half a length away in fourth place two weeks later in a handicap race at Moonee Valley. Following a spell of two months, Miss Gidget resumed in the Blue Diamond Prelude with Dwyane Dunn in which she was one and three-quarter lengths behind Fontiton in second place.
“Dunn felt she’s a live chance and he’s probably won more Blue Diamonds than any other jockey, so that’s a positive sign,” Alderson said.
“I think she’s in with a chance. Obviously the favourite has drawn well which was not ideal, but that can sometimes prove to be problematical.
“I find it hard to know exactly how these races will pan out and how we should feel about our chances as it’s a bunch of two-year-olds pretty much just going for it.
“You need a bit of luck to perform in these races and I’m hoping we get some.”
The trainer noted that while the 2015 Blue Diamond Stakes was the main goal for Miss Gidget in the autumn, the filly could easily continue racing if she comes through Saturday’s race well.
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