Trainer Matt Laurie celebrated his first stakes success on Thursday when The Travelling Man took out the Blue Diamond Preview for colts and geldings at Caulfield.
An $NZ80,000 yearling purchase at the New Zealand Select Sale, The Travelling Man was well-backed with as much as $17 offered before he was sent out at $6.50 for the Listed race.
“He’s shown really good ability from the moment we let him down for his first gallop,” said 31-year-old Laurie who trains at Mornington outside Melbourne.
“So we made sure we paid up (for the $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes).
“He was still a little bit hot behind the gates but he’ll settle down with time. He’s a very exciting horse.”
The colt has firmed from $26 to $9 for the Blue Diamond (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27.
Ridden by Ben Melham, The Travelling Man jumped straight to the front from barrier five in the nine-horse field and that’s where he stayed.
He scored by 1-1/4 lengths from first starter No Smoken ($21) with Timely Truce ($11) another 3-1/2 lengths away third.
Maribyrnong Trial Stakes winner Cambiaso, backed from $3 to start the $2.80 favourite, wilted from second on straightening to finish fourth.
The Travelling Man was resuming having had one start last spring when fourth to Jimando in the Debutants Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield in October.
“He did so much wrong at his first start but he still raced quite well,” Laurie said.
“I went away satisfied so I was more than happy to tip him out off the back of that.
“We always thought he was good enough to contest races like this.
“He’s basically raced today like he’s trialled in the past.”
Laurie said he would take the son of Mossman home and contemplate what path to take towards the Blue Diamond.
“Some people said to me ‘why did you go to New Zealand to buy a Mossman’, but at the end of the day he was a cracking type and I was happy to have him,” said Laurie, confirming The Travelling Man was his only purchase at that sale.
“He’d shown he had good gate speed in his trials and obviously he was a bit green and it didn’t happen at his first start.
“But he put it together today.”
The Tony McEvoy-trained Jimando is now the $5 favourite for the Blue Diamond, usurping Gai Waterhouse’s Raceway who eased from $4.40 to $5.50.
