Clinton McDonald‘s seasoned filly Streisand proved race experience counts for plenty when the progressive daughter of Magnus showed the boys how it’s done with a commanding win in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes 2026 results at Caulfield.

Underrated by the punters and bookies despite coming off a lead-up win in the Prelude for fillies, the bonny two-year-old went to another level thanks to a lovely Ben Melham ride to go back-to-back at her fifth career start and salute at double-figures in the Group 1 $2 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m).

“What a filly. The blinkers were used, she floated, but you try things and it worked,” an ecstatic McDonald told Racing.com after celebrating the win with the huge ownership group.

“To all my staff, my trackwork riders, fantastic. She did it the tough way and I thought she was really strong all the way to the line.

“I just thought she was the most seasoned horse in the race, her fifth start, the way she walked around the mounting yard it was like she’s done it her whole life, and she raced that way.

“It’s just terrific, look out tonight!”

For McDonald it was his second Blue Diamond success in three years following on from his 2024 victory with the ill-fated Hayasugi who was similarly forgotten in the markets when winning the juvenile’s feature at $16 and completing the Preview – Prelude – Group 1 treble as a juvenile.

“Very similar to Hayasugi, very understated, just won by a head and everyone wrote her off in the Diamond, I think she started $18, same with this filly, she’s had four starts, got beaten a short half head in two of them, unlucky when she ran fifth and then she won her fourth start, so I thought ‘have I got this wrong, I think she’s going alright this filly,” McDonald said.

“She’s had a solid preparation; she’s just come here and she’s tough and that’s what you need to win these races.”

Streisand jumped wider out from gate 10 but Melham was able to get her into a lovely on-pace position by the home turn settled third and ready to unleash.

In a great speed battle inside the final furlong, Streisand went stride-for-stride with the Danny O’Brien-trained Blue Diamond Prelude winning colt Closer To Free and the two fought it out after charging past the fading front-runner Lady Moscato.

Just when it looked like Closer To Free was going to snare the win after giving a good kick, Streisand ($11) erupted, digging deep and surging in the dying stages to put three-quarters of a length on the brave runner-up.

“It was a long-range plan with this filly. She showed exceptional ability from day dot,” Melham said.

“She’s just had a faultless start to her career, two lovely runs before Christmas, she went out, had time to have a little break.

“She’s come back and she’d just furnished every day. Developed and obviously, that’s what you want to see from these two-year-olds, she’s a ready-made racehorse.

“Clinton and the team have done a great job.”

Melham also credited the addition of blinkers to the winning filly’s gear and her good race day attitude.

“She’s a cranky little thing on the ground, but lovely to ride race day,” he said.

“Blinkers first time today, we always thought she’d improve with them on.

“She was a little bit sleepy going to the start, and I gave her a bit of a squeeze and then she picked up and I lit her up in the barriers a bit just to make sure she jumped because she went to sleep on me again.

“Obviously, a lot of the speed didn’t jump, and we didn’t end up going that quick. I was just in a position where I could control the race and she did the rest.”

Guest House, runner-up in the boys’ Prelude, also ran well after zero luck throughout eventually crossing third to complete the Blue Diamond trifecta a length off the winner.

There’s a chance Streisand could now head to Sydney for the world’s richest two-year-old’s race, the Group 1 $5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.

She has firmed in from $51 to $15 in the all-in Slipper markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Sepoy in 2011 was the first two-year-old to do the Diamond – Slipper double since Courtza in 1989.

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