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Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Wham, bang... Go glam

Michael Guerin
By Michael Guerin
Racing Editor·NZ Herald·
18 Feb, 2020 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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Letzbeglam won the fillies Blue Diamond Prelude in rocket-fast time. Photo / Bruno Cannatelli

Letzbeglam won the fillies Blue Diamond Prelude in rocket-fast time. Photo / Bruno Cannatelli

New Zealand's best female galloper Melody Belle will be at Caulfield on Saturday but it is another female most Kiwi punters have barely heard of who has a far bigger goal on the same card.

Melody Belle is the pre-draw favourite for the Futurity at Caulfield where she takes on Epsom winner Kolding and Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth.

Although the race is a group one, for Melody Belle it is more a lead-up to the A$5 million All Star Mile on the same track on March 14.

So while her race matters, maybe not quite as much as what Cambridge-owned filly Letzbeglam is aiming for, the A$1.5 million Blue Diamond.

Letzbeglam is unbeaten in two starts and won the fillies Blue Diamond Prelude in rocket-fast time.

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Add to that drawing barrier three yesterday and she is now the $8 third favourite.

New Zealand-owned horses in the Blue Diamond, Victoria's premier juvenile race, are rare, let alone ones considered serious winning chances.

But the daughter of Snitzel is owned by Jo Lindsay who, along with husband Brendan, now owns famous Cambridge Stud.

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So while Letzbeglam is already worth many times her $280,000 Magic Millions price tag, victory on Saturday would be a monumental result for the Lindsays as they continue to develop their broodmare band, for which Australian group one form is nearly the ultimate goal.

They could, of course, get that next week or later in the autumn when two-time Karaka Million winner Probabeel resumes at the highest level in Sydney.

But adding a Blue Diamond winner to the broodmare band would be an epic result for not only Cambridge Stud but the breeding industry.

"We are not saying she is going to win but she has a chance and that is pretty special," says Brendan Lindsay.

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"We are constantly trying to improve our broodmare band and she is already the winner of a group two Blue Diamond Prelude so the fact she will be living on the farm so some stage is a big deal already, not just for us but for the industry here because the right sort of buyers come to look at foals out of mares like her. So we are hoping she is not finished winning yet and are really looking forward to Saturday."

The Lindsays are the only Kiwis in Letzbeglam's corner as she is trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, the former Cambridge trainers who have been based in Victoria for 3-years.

It is already a big week for the couple as they have taken over another stable at their Cranbourne base, such has been the demand for their services and they also have colt Tagaloa in the Blue Diamond.

"It is great to have two horses in a race this big," Young told the Herald.

"Letzbeglam is the first horse we have had for the Lindsays so we are thrilled she is showing so much and she is handling the Blue Diamond prep so well.

"She has been really good since winning the Prelude and we have got two great barriers."

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Busuttin and Young sit fourth on the Victorian trainers' premiership and within four wins of Mick Price in third.

"Things are going really well and we are starting to get more wins in town too," says Young.

"Another barn became available at Cranbourne and it was a nice chance to bring the horses we often have out pre-training closer to base.

"So they are being trained by one of our best friends in Brendan Hawtin so the operation is going pretty well," says Young.

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