Godolphin will unleash its top seeds for the Blue Diamond when Antelucan and Sampeah resume among a strong squad of juveniles at Caulfield.

Winning Group One races for two-year-olds is a focus for the global racing and breeding operation.

The youngsters have been split into those targeting next month’s Blue Diamond and the ones being aimed at the Golden Slipper.

Antelucan and Pursuits run in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies while Sampeah has been switched to Melbourne and will join stablemates Bantam and Demonstrate in the colts and geldings division.

“Antelucan is definitely the top-seeded Godolphin filly down in Melbourne,” Godolphin racing manager Jason Walsh said.

“Pursuits is a beautiful filly but will probably be better suited in the spring.

“So Antelucan and Sampeah would be the two that probably look our strongest prospects for the Blue Diamond.”

Exceed And Excel colt Sampeah won impressively in Sydney on debut and has been sent south in the past week to target the Diamond.

“We’ve got two colts running in Sydney next week in the Lonhro Plate in Furnaces and Haptic and a strong team in Ottoman and Holler in the Silver Slipper the week after. It’s about splitting them up,” Walsh said.

“As long as Sampeah runs up to expectations in the Prelude, the Diamond is what he’s in Melbourne for. And that wouldn’t stop him going back to Sydney either after that.”

Chad Schofield has the ride on Sampeah and Antelucan, the filly he won a stakes race on during Melbourne Cup week at Flemington.

“She is still legs and we expect her to improve into later this year but she did a good job at her only start and physically she’s thickened up a bit,” Walsh said.

Pursuits is expected to be better as a spring three-year-old but has been kept in Blue Diamond reckoning after her encouraging third to Fontiton and Haybah on debut.

“We’re certainly not against running her in the feature if she shows us,” Walsh said.

Demonstrate is not nominated for the Blue Diamond but a late entry is likely to be paid if he wins the Prelude.

Bantam was beaten as favourite in the Maribyrnong Plate but then notched a narrow city win at Moonee Valley before being spelled with the Blue Diamond series in mind.

Article from justhorseracing.com.au