“But yes, it was a surprise to see her open favourite over some of those bigger-stable horses.”
War Princess has only raced three times and is a natural speedster who bolted away with her first two races before Didham went to a Sires’ Produce Stakes he always had doubts about.
“When they are winning like that and you have a Group 1 up for grabs, you go for it but I’ll admit I thought it might be a bridge too far.”
Which brings us to tomorrow’s feature and a race Didham admits could be a bridge too early.
“I’d love this race to be in another couple of weeks,” he told the Herald.
“She has had one trial and won it well and it was quite a good field.”
Didham said War Princess “might be able to get away with it fresh-up” in the 1200m Whanganui race “as she will be up on the speed, but I’d prefer to have another trial or jumpout under her belt”.
“But that is typical of plenty of us trainers at this time of the year. You want everything perfect, the right preparation and the ideal track conditions but the reality is you don’t get them very often.
“So you have to pick somewhere to start them off and then, unless the track is just too heavy, run them and see where you are.”
That last statement sums up the start of the 3-year-old spring and could apply to many in tomorrow’s field and plenty in stables around the country.
At this stage of their campaigns, there are dozens of 3-year-olds who look legitimate Group 1 Guineas contenders if they improve enough, stay sound and handle the pressure.
Of course, many don’t. There are few tougher schools with less places to hide than the early season 3-year-old ranks.
But at least Didham doesn’t have to worry about the highest mountain of all in the Kiwi 3-year-old spring.
“I don’t see her as a 1000 Guineas horse so I doubt we will go down that path with her.
“She will stick to sprinting for now and she was actually under offer last week but we will take this one race at a time.
“She will be there for a long way on Saturday but I just hope the weather holds and it doesn’t get too wet.”
That could be a deciding factor in this Guineas as rain on Friday or Saturday could dull the speed of the newcomers and suit a hardened winter performer like Platinum Diamond.
But in reality, almost any of them could win without surprising as most have shown proper ability from limited opportunities.
Earlier in the card, Didham suggests Herald readers who don’t mind a responsible punt check out Shameless Star in Race 1.
“We actually thought she’d beat War Princess when they were both on debut but she is a nice horse who won her trial recently and will be a good chance.”
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
