• 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes Scratchings Update: Widely-drawn filly #14 Cigar Flick (18) from the Chris Waller stable has been scratched.

The narrow favourite Barber has drawn well with barrier nine for Godolphin in the 2023 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes this weekend in Melbourne.

Barber heads 2023 Blue Diamond Stakes betting after drawing barrier nine for Saturday’s major. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The official barrier draw for the Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) has been completed with the best fancied runners faring well.

Heading Blue Diamond Stakes betting at $5 through Ladbrokes.com.au is James Cummings‘ unbeaten colt Barber chasing a fourth win on the trot.

The Golden Gift winner in Sydney last prep returned with a tight but eye-catching Group 2 Prelude victory and now chases the double last completed Written By (2018).

Artorious (2021) was the last Blue Diamond Stakes winner to jump from barrier nine, and jockey Jamie Kah has the prized mount on Saturday looking to make Barber the next.

Cummings’ other Blue Diamond Stakes contenders in 2023 suffered wide draws with last start Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes winning colt Zulfiqar ($15) and the Prelude winning Brazen Beau filly Exploring ($21) drifting in betting after drawing barriers 15 and 13 respectively.

Despite how it looks on paper barrier 15 has actually produced two recent Blue Diamond Stakes winners with Written By (2018) and Earthquake (2014) both jumping from the wide alley.

The other Blue Diamond Stakes barrier to produce two recent winners is gate 11 with Extreme Choice (2016) and Catchy (2017) going back-to-back from the gate.

This year the Chris Beig-trained 70/1 outsider, Russian Revolution filly from Adelaide Dubenenko, drew barrier 11.

Exploring however will come into the gate if both emergency runners – Sensical (barrier 12) and Beauty Rising (barrier 10) – fail to gain a start.

Steel City continues to occupy the second line of the Blue Diamond markets at $5.50 with Ciaron Maher & David Eustace‘s Widden Stakes runner drawn a treat in barrier five, which produced last year’s winner Daumier, for jockey Blake Shinn.

On the drift out to Blue Diamond Stakes odds of $9 is Brave Halo with Sean & Jake Casey‘s WA raider, fourth in the Prelude, one of the widest drawn in gate 16 which becomes 14 with emergencies out.

Tightening in following the Blue Diamond Stakes barrier draw now occupying the third line at $7 is Extreme Choice colt Don Corleone out to hand co-trainer Peter Snowden a fourth success in an ideal barrier three draw.

The Ben & JD Hayes-trained Per Incanto grey Little Brose in barrier seven is at $9 out to go one better than his close second to Barber in the boys’ Prelude a fortnight back on the Hillside circuit at Sandown.

The Instructor ($9) rounds out the current single-figure fancies with the unbeaten Russian Revolution colt, racing for the first time since his Preview win on Australia Day, racing for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.

Click here for the latest Blue Diamond Stakes 2023 betting odds thanks to race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au.

2023 Blue Diamond Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.