Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr already have the Blue Diamond favourite in their stable but are looking to further strengthen their hand when Big Sky lines up at Flemington on Saturday.
Early markets for the Group 1 two-year-old feature opened during the week and saw impressive debut winner Guest House quickly installed as the $6 favourite.
Big Sky, a colt by Bivouac, was well found in betting at $15 ahead of his debut in the Tab We’re On Handicap (1000m).
Price, who has previously won the Blue Diamond Stakes with Samaready in 2012 and Extreme Choice in 2016, said preparations for Big Sky had gone perfectly following a dominant Cranbourne jumpout.
“He’s a nice horse,” Price said.
“When Ben Melham trialled him at his second trial, I thought he was quite impressive.
“And Melham is up here, obviously, so very happy to have Mark Zahra on.
“He had a gallop on Monday morning on the grass and sat off one, ran good time and recovered very well.
“So we had the data on him and the data’s very good, and I expect him to be hard to beat.”
Big Sky is rated a $2.40 favourite in the opening race at Flemington and with the Blue Diamond Previews set for Caulfield next Saturday, Price said the timing of the run was ideal.
“I think with the two-year-olds, timing is very important,” Price said.
“He was in the zone where he was right, so from his trial to his Monday morning gallop to the race, it’s a good rhythm and it’s good prize money.
“It will stand him in good stead if he does win to take that form into the Prelude over 1100 metres into the Blue Diamond that way.
“I wasn’t sure that he’d be suited in a 1000-metre Preview. The Preview’s quite fast, and I think he’s a horse that will just get a bit balanced and I think the straight will suit him.”
Markets are available through leading Australian betting sites for Saturday’s Flemington two-year-old opener as punters assess Blue Diamond prospects.
Price also confirmed that Guest House will head straight to the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 7 ahead of the Group 1 three weeks later.
The post Sky’s the limit for Price 2yo first appeared on Just Horse Racing.