Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts & Geldings)

The Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts & Geldings) is a Group 3 status race run in Melbourne on CF Orr Stakes Day during the autumn as a Blue Diamond Stakes lead-up.

2023 Blue Diamond C&G Prelude Results

  • 1st: #1 Barber
  • 2nd: #2 Little Brose
  • 3rd: #4 Corniche



The Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude Colts & Geldings is a Group 3 race for two-year-old males held at Caulfield Racecourse* in February during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

*In 2023 the 2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude and C.F. Orr Stakes Day card ran at Ladbrokes Park Hillside, Sandown. 

The event is contested over a short sprint distance of 1100m and offers $300,000 in prize money to the winner. A set weights race, the Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude is held on CF Orr Stakes Day. The meeting kicks off Group 1 racing for the year with the running of the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m).

CF Orr Stakes Day is home to a host of other early autumn Group status races including the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m), Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) and the Group 2 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude (1100m), which is the fillies’ equivalent of the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G).

Many juveniles in the Blue Diamond Prelude field for colts and geldings will have previously run in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) in late January. In recent years, the Blue Diamond Preview – Blue Diamond Prelude double has been achieved by: I Am Immortal (2019), Hanseatic (2020) and General Beau (2021). The race is the traditional lead-up to the Group 1 $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) held a fortnight later.

Recent winners of the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) – Blue Diamond Stakes double include Written By (2018), Sepoy (2011) and Bel Esprit (2002). Pride Of Dubai (2015) also recently improved on a Prelude second to win the Blue Diamond Stakes.

In 2020 the Blue Diamond Prelude winner Hanseatic came off a lead-up win in the Blue Diamond Preview and went on to run second in that year’s Blue Diamond Stakes results.

The next year, Anamoe ran second in the Blue Diamond Prelude before a third in the Blue Diamond Stakes trifecta and subsequent second in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes in Sydney. Anamoe also won that autumn’s Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and returned for a stellar spring headlined by a Group 1 Caulfield Guineas victory and second in the Group 1 Cox Plate back in Melbourne.

The 2022 Blue Diamond Prelude C&G form was franked with the winner Lofty Strike going on to run fourth that spring in the Group1  Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight. The Blue Diamond Prelude third place-getter Daumier further franked the form with his next-up win in that year’s Blue Diamond Stakes results before fourths in the Golden Slipper Stakes and Inglis Sires’ in Sydney behind gun filly Fireburn.

The Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts & Geldings) 2023 ran on Saturday February 11, 2023 at Ladbrokes Park Hillside, Sandown and was won in a strong first-up performance by Barber ($4) from the Godolphin stable. 

2023 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G)
Date: Saturday February 11, 2023
Track: Caulfield Racecourse (Ladbrokes Park Hillside, Sandown in 2023)
Distance: 1100m
Race Type: Set Weights
Status: Group 3
Prize Money: $300,000

2023 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) Results

  • 1st: #1 Barber ($4)
  • 2nd: #2 Little Brose
  • 3rd: #4 Corniche

The returning James Cummings-trained $1 million Golden Gift winner Barber ($4) retained his unbeaten record with a terrific win fresh in the Blue Diamond Prelude 2023 results with improvement to come ahead of the Group 1 in a fortnight.

Click here to read more on the strong win by Barber in the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) 2023 results.

2023 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) Results & Finishing Order

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 1 BARBER James Cummings Ms Jamie Kah 7 57kg $4
2 2 LITTLE BROSE Ben & JD Hayes Michael Dee 0.3L 4 57kg $7.50
3 4 CORNICHE James Cummings Blake Shinn 1.05L 1 57kg $14
4 3 BRAVE HALO Sean & Jake Casey Damien Oliver 1.15L 3 57kg $2.80F
5 11 AMIGO Peter G Moody Luke Nolen 2.15L 5 57kg $7.50
6 10 FIRE FOLLOWER Anthony & Sam Freedman Ben Melham 4.65L 6 57kg $61
7 7 GANGITANO Amy & Ash Yargi Craig Williams 5.15L 2 57kg $9
8 12 PEERLESS LAD Phillip Stokes Zac Spain 7.9L 11 57kg $31
9 5 SOME PEOPLE CALLME Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Ben Allen 8.1L 10 57kg $31
10 8 TARABEAU Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Jordan Childs 8.5L 9 57kg $21
11 9 GOODES Anthony & Sam Freedman Daniel Moor 11.5L 8 57kg $81
6 SCORSESE Peter G Moody Daniel Stackhouse 0

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) Betting Odds

The best Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude 2023 odds and betting links to the markets will be found below the week of CF Orr Stakes Day so stay tuned.

Hanseatic ($2.30 in 2020) followed by General Beau ($3.10 in 2021) are the latest Blue Diamond Prelude Colts & Geldings favourites to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 BLUE DIAMOND PRELUDE C&G ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude Form Guide

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 BLUE DIAMOND PRELUDE C&G FORM GUIDE

2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Blue Diamond Prelude Colts & Geldings 2023 Tips on the important Blue Diamond lead-up this autumn.

  • To Win: #3 Brave Halo ($3.40 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Going to tip the Perth raider here to keep the wins going with a fourth career success from as many starts. Sean & Jake Casey’s Brave Smash colt has been flawless at home winning three straight last prep at Ascot. His latest back in November was a runaway victory by over five lengths at this distance. Presents fresh here and ready to fire over east looking to make an impact in Melbourne. Ideal barrier three draw and Damien Oliver to aid his chances.

2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude Field

The Blue Diamond Prelude for colts & geldings field is made up of a host of Blue Diamond Stakes-bound youngsters and is released by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday before CF Orr Stakes Day.

The official 2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude Field and Barriers are set for release on Wednesday February 8, 2023 and will be listed in full below.

The Blue Diamond Prelude 2023 for colts and geldings features a quality final field of young juveniles led in betting by Godolphin’s undefeated $1 million Golden Gift winning colt Barber chasing a third career win fresh from gate seven.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 11x BARBER James Cummings Ms Jamie Kah 7 57kg 84
2 21x LITTLE BROSE Ben & JD Hayes Michael Dee 4 57kg 72
3 111x BRAVE HALO Sean & Jake Casey Damien Oliver 3 57kg 73
4 32 CORNICHE James Cummings Blake Shinn 1 57kg 67
5 2 SOME PEOPLE CALLME Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Ben Allen 10 57kg 63
6 3 SCORSESE Peter G Moody Daniel Stackhouse 12 57kg 64
7 3x GANGITANO Amy & Ash Yargi Craig Williams 2 57kg 67
8 6×2 TARABEAU Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Jordan Childs 9 57kg 61
9 5 GOODES Anthony & Sam Freedman Daniel Moor 8 57kg 61
10 7 FIRE FOLLOWER Anthony & Sam Freedman Ben Melham 6 57kg 60
11 AMIGO Peter G Moody Luke Nolen 5 57kg
12 PEERLESS LAD Phillip Stokes Zac Spain 11 57kg

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude Nominations

The Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts & Geldings) 2023 nominations close on Monday February 6, 2023 and will be released below as soon as available.

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Ballot Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 11x BARBER C 2 James Cummings 1 57kg 84
2 1×2 KING’S GAMBIT C 2 Peter & Paul Snowden 2 57kg 74
3 21x LITTLE BROSE C 2 Ben & JD Hayes 3 57kg 72
4 1 DON CORLEONE C 2 Peter & Paul Snowden 4 57kg 67
5 111x BRAVE HALO C 2 Sean & Jake Casey 5 57kg 73
6 32 CORNICHE C 2 James Cummings 6 57kg 67
7 4×2 HELLISH C 2 Danny O’Brien 7 57kg 63
8 2 SOME PEOPLE CALLME C 2 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 8 57kg 63
9 3 SCORSESE G 2 Peter G Moody 9 57kg 64
10 3x GANGITANO C 2 Amy & Ash Yargi 10 57kg 67
11 6×2 TARABEAU C 2 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 11 57kg 61
12 5 GOODES C 2 Anthony & Sam Freedman 12= 57kg 61
13 5 HIGH KING C 2 Michael Freedman 12= 57kg 60
14 7 FIRE FOLLOWER C 2 Anthony & Sam Freedman 14 57kg 60
15 AMIGO C 2 Peter G Moody 15= 57kg
16 CAPE BYRON C 2 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 15= 57kg
17 PEERLESS LAD C 2 Phillip Stokes 15= 57kg
18 PIVOT CITY C 2 Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) 15= 57kg
19 SUPERSONIC SURGE C 2 Matt Laurie 15= 57kg
20 THE RELUCTANT STAR C 2 Dean Binaisse 15= 57kg

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Blue Diamond Colts & Geldings Prelude History

The Blue Diamond (Colts & Geldings) Prelude has been run and won since 1982. The inaugural winner was Rancer and since then a host of quality two-year-olds have taken out the race including Lonhro (2011), Sepoy (2011), Flying Artie (2016) and Written By (2018).

The race began as a Listed event and has held its Group 3 status since 1986. For one year in 1996 the Blue Diamond Prelude C&G ran at Sandown Racecourse instead of its traditional home at Caulfield.

In 2023 the race will again run at Ladbrokes Park Hillside at Sandown.

Recent Blue Diamond Prelude Winners (Colts & Geldings)

See below for a full list of the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) winners and results going back to 2000.

Year Place Horse Time
2023
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Barber 1 minute 3.99 seconds
2nd Little Brose
3rd Corniche
2022
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Lofty Strike 1 minute 3.98 seconds
2nd Semillion
3rd Daumier
2021
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st General Beau 1 minute 3.58 seconds
2nd Anamoe
3rd Jigsaw
2020
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Hanseatic 1 minute 3.08 seconds
2nd Rulership
3rd Rathlin
2019
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st I Am Immortal 1 minute 4.44 seconds
2nd Shotmaker
3rd Hawker Hurricane
2018
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Written By 1 minute 04.98 seconds
2nd Plague Stone
3rd Native Soldier
2017
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Property 1 minute 03.78 seconds
2nd Pariah
3rd Wait For No One
2016
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Flying Artie 1 minute 3.0 seconds
2nd Star Turn
3rd China Dream
2015
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Of The Brave 1 minute 3.6 seconds
2nd Pride Of Dubai
3rd Sampeah
2014
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Rubick 1 minute 3.7 seconds
2nd Jabali
3rd Chivalry
2013
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Kuroshio 1 minute 4.0 seconds
2nd The Bowler
3rd Dissident
2012
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st General Rippa 1 minute 4.1 seconds
2nd Rusambo
3rd Ferment
2011
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Sepoy 1 minute 3.0 seconds
2nd Running Tall
3rd Huegill
2010
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Beneteau 1 minute 2.5 seconds
2nd General Truce
3rd The Greatandthegood
2009
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Real Saga 1 minute 3.7 seconds
2nd Reward For Effort
3rd Starspangledbanner
2008
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Wilander 1 minute 3.9 seconds
2nd Exceedingly Good
3rd Minnesota Shark
2007
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Shrewd Rhythm 1 minute 3.4 seconds
2nd Zizou
3rd Victory Chant
2006
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Due Sasso 1 minute 3.4 seconds
2nd Wonderful World
3rd Swinging Bachelor
2005
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Perfectly Ready 1 minute 3.9 seconds
2nd The Rhine
3rd Bradbury’s Luck
2004
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Way West 1 minute 3.4 seconds
2nd Oratorio
3rd Sanziro
2003
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Hammerbeam 1 minute 3.7 seconds
2nd Murphy’s Blu Boy
3rd Scaredee Cat
2002
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Bel Esprit 1 minute 5.2 seconds
2nd Cool Trent
3rd Step Ahead
2001
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Lonhro 1 minute 3.3 seconds
2nd Niewand
3rd Tosamba
2000
Blue Diamond Prelude C&G
1st Happy Giggle 1 minute 4.6 seconds
2nd Lord Dane
3rd Sparks

Spring Racing

Military Mission Fires in 2023...

Zipping Classic 2023 Field �...

Zipping Classic 2023 Field & Odds Update: Vow And Declare Defends Title

Danny O’Brien’s 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare continues to show a...

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbott...

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbottom Stakes Field & Betting Markets

Bjron Baker’s The Everest performer Overpass is tipped to return to winning...

Osipenko Leads The Gong 2023 R...

Osipenko Leads The Gong 2023 Race Field & Betting

The Chris Waller-trained Pierro four-year-old Osipenko is firm favourite in...

2023 Railway Stakes Field ...

2023 Railway Stakes Field & Betting Update: Tuvalu Narrow Favourite

The Lindsey Smith-trained top-weight Tuvalu is narrow favourite in the latest...

Horse Racing Today

Military Mission Fires in 2023...

Unspoken Posts Narrow 2023 The...

Unspoken Posts Narrow 2023 The Five Diamonds Win

The Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Unspoken came away with a narrow victory...

2023 Champions Stakes Results:...

2023 Champions Stakes Results: Atishu and J Mac Beat Duais and Ollie

James McDonald stopped the retiring Damien Oliver from a swansong Group 1 win...

2023 Champions Mile Results: P...

2023 Champions Mile Results: Pride Of Jenni All-The-Way Winner

Pride Of Jenni secured her second Group 1 success in the space of seven days...

2023 Champions Sprint Results:...

2023 Champions Sprint Results: Imperatriz Just Keeps Winning

Mark Walker’s brilliant sprint star Imperatriz just keeps on winning with the...

Race Results

Military Mission Fires in 2023 Zipping Classic Results

Unspoken Posts Narrow 2023 The Five Diamonds Win

2023 Champions Stakes Results: Atishu and J Mac Beat Duais and Ollie

2023 Champions Mile Results: Pride Of Jenni All-The-Way Winner

2023 Champions Sprint Results: Imperatriz Just Keeps Winning

Race Previews

2023 The Ingham Race Field & Odds Update: Detonator Jack Favourite

Zaaki Heads 2023 Northerly Stakes Field & Betting Markets

2023 Ballarat Cup Field & Betting Update

Zipping Classic 2023 Field & Odds Update: Vow And Declare Defends Title

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbottom Stakes Field & Betting Markets

Fields & Form

2023 The Ingham Race Field & Odds Update: Detonator Jack Favourite

Zaaki Heads 2023 Northerly Stakes Field & Betting Markets

2023 Ballarat Cup Field & Betting Update

Zipping Classic 2023 Field & Odds Update: Vow And Declare Defends Title

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbottom Stakes Field & Betting Markets