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Diamond Effort Wins The Heath Stakes at Caulfield.

Trainer Clinton Mcdonald will eye off bigger spring prizes after Diamond Effort scored a brave first-up win in the $160,000 Group 3 The Heath Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday. 

The Caulfield trained mare was having her first start since a bleeding attack halted a four-run winning streak during the autumn. 

McDonald had been planning an assault on the Listed Wangoom Handicap (1200m) at Warrnambool in May with the possibility of a trip to Adelaide for the later part of their winter carnival. 

But after scoring at Caulfield on a heavy track in early April, Diamond Effort incurred an automatic three-month ban for bleeding. 

McDonald admitted to concerns pre-race with Diamond Effort drawing the widest alley in the 13-horse field, following scratchings, but jockey Ben Melham was able to find cover early in the race and conserve energy in the run to the home turn. 

After striking the lead early in the straight, Diamond Effort ($6) held off a late lunge from the $4.60 favourite Lyre to score by a half-neck with Runson ($61) a further long-head away third. 

Diamond Effort is accomplished on both dry and wet ground, but McDonald said he would not mind if the wet tracks reappear during the Melbourne spring after the mare scored on an improving good track on Saturday. 

"She's just a ripping mare," McDonald said. 

"We were really confident coming into today and the wind was probably the only dampener but we thought it was 'chips in' today. 

"But the wind softened up a little bit. 

"We feel that she's a mare that we can place in the spring. 

"We'll get her home and see how she pulls up. We've got the Moir in mind with her this time in. 

"Obviously her rating will go up again and we can go up to a Group 2 or Group 1, especially if we can get her on a wet track, she's even better again." 

A five-year-old daughter of Mossman and the Geiger Counter mare Relativity, Diamond Effort has now won eight of her 14 starts and $488,500 in prize money for Mr D Romanelli, Mr D M Richards, Mr R W Fenwick, Dr M S Fenwick, Ms E S Bryan, Mr N Chadwick, Mrs L P O'Grady, Mrs G B Richardson, Mr R J Donazzan, F A D D RACING, Mr S Rogers, Mr R J Wilkins, Mrs M Bonett-Horton, R T R Racing.