News

Fontiton has cutting edge

15th Feb 2015

Herald Sun - Rod Nicholson - Saturday, 14 February 2014

FLYING filly Fontiton looks to have a mortgage on the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.

The Robert Smerdon-trained two-year-old looks destined to follow other fillies Earthquake, Miracles Of Life and Samaready and take home the $1 million feature.

She runs faster than her ­rivals, will receive a 2kg advantage over the colts and geldings and, in an unlikely scenario, would be even better on a rain-affected track.

Her stunning 1¾-length victory in the Group 2 Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday made it three consecutive ­career wins and took her prizemoney past $400,000, much to the delight of the owners.

Included among them are the Melbourne Racing Club chief executive Brodie Arnhold and treasurer Matthew Cain, along with the lucky winner of the Herald Sun/Inglis Win A Share In A Racehorse competition, Vasko Ognenovski who won a 10 per cent share, as well as free training and insurance for two years.

The TAB immediately slashed Fontiton’s Diamond price from $4.40 to $3.20, while corporate bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au was even more convinced of her credentials, making her $2.50 favourite.

Fontiton started the $2.50 favourite and came from behind to comfortably account for Miss Gidget ($31). The Gai Waterhouse-trained Flamboyant Lass ($5) was three-quarters of a length away third.

She ran 1:02.83s and Smerdon and jockey Mark Zahra said she had much more to give over the 1200m finale to Victoria’s premier juvenile race in a fortnight.

Her time was only 0.38s outside the class record and was 0.63s faster that the colts and geldings division winner, Of The Brave.

Smerdon hailed her “terrific” effort. “She just keeps stepping up. She flattened out and ran home strongly,” he said, adding she will not have any gear changes going into the final.

Zahra said she had the best attitude of any juvenile he had ridden. “She has the ability, if you drove her mad, to lead but more importantly she can take a sit, relax and then unleash a huge run,” he said. “The 1200m of the Diamond will suit her down to the ground.”

However, Mark Riley, trainer of Of The Brave, has not conceded defeat to the filly, ­although he accepted she is “a very good filly who remains the yard stick”.

Riley, who faces a Racing Appeals & Disciplinary hearing into bicarb use just days ­before the Diamond, said the $3.60 favourite yesterday “has much more improvement than Fontiton” and that he looks forward to the showdown.

It was Of The Brave’s first outing since winning the Debutant Stakes at Caulfield on October 11, and Riley said the son of Starspangledbanner was just warming up to the challenge.

Jockey Stephen Baster said he knew the colt was vulnerable after such a long break and racing above himself early.

“He will take really good improvement from this. This will top him off nicely for the Diamond,” he said.

The colt had only a short half-head to spare from the fast-finishing Pride Of Dubai ($4.80). Trainer Peter Snowden said connections would pay a late entry fee to contest the Diamond. Sampeah ($6.50) was 2¾ lengths away third.

BLUE DIAMOND UPDATE

Fontiton $4.40 into $3.20

Pride Of Dubai (nn) $12 into $4

Of The Brave $8 to $5

Air Apparent $101 into $18

TAB FIXED ODDS MARKET

Fontiton $3.20

Pride Of Dubai $4

Of The Brave $5

Sampeah $7

Lake Geneva $12

Flambouyant Lass $14

Others from $18