Betting is now open for Saturday’s 2016 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude for colts and geldings with the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Defcon early favourite to win despite is wide draw in the Caulfield Racecourse feature.

Group 3 winner Power Trip is at a nice price in 2016 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) betting for this Saturday at Caulfield. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Running as the fourth race on the CF Orr Stakes Day program, this year’s $200,000 Group 3 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude (1100m) features a full field of 16.

Of the young runners in the mix progressing towards the $1.5 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) back at the track on February 27, the best fancied at Ladbrokes.com.au is Blake Shinn’s mount Defcon.

The Choisir colt has a wide barrier 13 draw but still sits top of the odds at $4.60 for the win after his smart second to Tesseara on a Heavy (8) Rosehill track in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at the end of last month.

Occupying the second line of betting at an equal $5 are the early market mover Flying Artie and Weatherly.

Local horseman Mick Price prepares current hot favourite for the 2016 Blue Diamond Stakes, Extreme Choice, and also has a big wrap on progressive stablemate Flying Artie.

The Artie Schiller colt debuted in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) on Emirates Stakes Day at Flemington last November and was only just nosed out of the win by Power Trip.

He won a February first barrier trial on the Synthetic track at Geelong by three and a half lengths over 1000m ahead of his first-up run on Saturday, but has suffered a blow drawing the outside barrier (16).

The Paul Messara-trained Beneteau colt Weatherly had better luck with barrier nine and is out to improve on his sixth to Cohesion in the Listed Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Preview (1000m) on January 26 at the track.

Rounding out the single figure hopes in the markets are Star Turn ($7) for Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes and the Blue Diamond Preview winner Cohesion ($8.50).

Star Witness colt Star Turn has had two starts, both at Randwick, and won last time out over 1100m last October.

He trialled nicely at Warwick Farm late last month and runs in Melbourne for the first time on the weekend.

A nicely-bred son of Lonhro, promising colt Cohesion was fourth to Golden Slipper Stakes favourite Capitalist in the Listed Breeders’ Plate (1000m) in Sydney during the spring before coming back for the Caulfield win last time out.

He overcame barrier 10 of 12 for his one and a quarter length success in the Preview and is wide again out in gate 12 on Saturday with Ben Melham continuing his association.

At a more generous price and more than capable of an upset at good odds is then Power Trip ($14) in barrier four.

Prepared at Mornington by John McArdle, the Hard Spun gelding enjoyed the Group 3 Flemington win in the Maribyrnong Plate on debut and was far from disgraced with his Preview fourth first-up on Australia Day.

See below for the full Blue Diamond Colts & Gelding Prelude 2016 betting odds, prices you can lock in now at our preferred online betting agency Ladbrokes.com.au who are also the race sponsor!

2016 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) Odds