3 minute read

Timeform recap the 2017 Blue Diamond won by Catchy for trainer David Hayes and jockey Craig Williams.

The even nature of this year's two-year-old group has been well documented through the first half of the season but the first Group 1 test for the 2016/17 crop has played it's role in establishing a pecking order.

Timeform's list which you can view here is now headed by the Blue Diamond one-two, Catchy and Pariah, who drew clear in a truly run grand final and firmly marked themselves as the best filly and colt we have seen in Melbourne to date.

Catchy (now rated 116p) and Pariah (118) put more than two lengths between them and the chasing pack which was headed by the other three to start under 9-1 in a competitive betting market.

Having the key market players lead the race in should fill punters with confidence in the form, as should the true tempo.

The Blue Diamond was run in 1:09.38 - only Extreme Choice (rated 123p at the time) and Sepoy (124+) have won in faster time in the past 10 years - with the race split 34.43/34.95. That closing split only bettered by the exceptional Sepoy in the last 10 years.

Conditions on the day were conducive to running good times, and that sectional break down shows the race was run a bit quicker than par early, but the time still stands up well after adjustments with Catchy returning a speed figure of 115. Only She Will Reign, currently rated 116p alongside Catchy, has returned a better overall time than Catchy this season in the view of Racing And Sports.

A rating of 116 isn't particularly high historically - the 10 year winning average sits at 119.8 - but there looks to be plenty of value in the 'p' attached to that figure.

Catchy's individual sectional, 33.62, was a clear standout in the race and equated to an individual finishing speed of 103.2%. The race was run at a strong tempo but Catchy ran her individual race a bit slower than ideal early judged on her closing speed and by Racing And Sports' calculations another 2-3lbs could easily be in the locker for when Catchy needs it.

The Golden Slipper is next on the agenda for Catchy and she will almost certainly need that extra length or two if she is to keep her unbeaten record in tact there. While she sits at the pointy end of the crop at the moment she has had the opportunity that a strongly run grand final presents. The key players up in Sydney haven't had that chance, still building towards their grand final, and history would suggest that 116 won't be enough to take the richest two-year-old prize on the planet at Rosehill next month.

Still, as mentioned, there is enough substance to what Catchy has achieved to consider her a live hope in the Golden Slipper, and beyond that she gives the impression that she will make a terrific three-year-old. We can expect to see that 'p' put to good use then, with her closing power not only hinting at the ability to run faster but also the ability to run further.

By virtue of conceding Catchy 2kgs, Pariah now leads the race to be Timeform's Champion Two-Year-Old. Sectional times point to him being ideally positioned by jockey Blake Shinn and upside on his rating seems harder to come by, at least in the short term.

Behind that leading pair, Formality and Tulip impressed again and should be able to improve on ratings of 108 and 107 respectively. Winning at the highest level will require an unlikely spike but a hotly contested Blue Diamond is sure to prove a very strong platform for them going back to races of less depth.