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Victorian filly looking to emulate star for the 1980s
Some great fillies have the Blue Diamond, the likes of Bounding Away, Courtza and Alinghi.
Midnight Fever is not quite held in that esteem but, like them, the daughter of Luskin Star holds a special place in the history of Victoria's premier juvenile event.
Four horses have swept the Blue Diamond series that comprises of the Preview, Prelude and the Group 1 final – Rancher, Midnight Fever, Bel Esprit and Sepoy – but she remains the only filly, a feat she achieved in 1987.
Hayasugi will be looking to join her when she contests the 2024 edition this Saturday at Caulfield.
The Clinton Mcdonald-trained filly will become only the fifth filly to attempt the three-peat, and first since Fontiton nine years ago, when she looks to back up narrow wins in the Preview and Prelude in the $2 million Group 1.
A leg injury sustained in the run denied Fontiton her chance, with that filly finishing a game fifth in the Diamond, the same position Rostova finished in 2009, while Halibery came closest to emulating Midnight Fever with a second placing in the Diamond.
Seven boys have attempted the same feat with Hanseatic's second placing in 2020 the best Diamond placing outside the three to have completed the treble.
Hayasugi is one of only three in this year's Diamond who contested both the Preview and the Prelude with Matisse having run third in both lead-ups, while colts and geldings' Preview winner High Octane was an unlucky fifth in his Prelude.
Daumier, who won the Preview and finished third in the Prelude, is the most recent Diamond winner to contest all three legs of the series with Sepoy, Reward For Effort and Bel Esprit are the only others this millennium.
But while it is rare for a Diamond winner to contest all three legs of the season, more often than not they come through one of the Preludes.
Since the introduction of the Previews and Preludes in 1982, 25 Diamond winners have had their final start in one of the Preludes, 15 of them winning both races.
Bodyguard (first), Stay Focused (second) and High Octane are the Diamond runners out of the boys' Prelude, while Kuroyanagi (second), Matisse and emergencies In Her Eyes and Altermatum join Hayasugi as those out of the girls' Prelude.
Leading fancies, Coleman and Eneeza, come via the Group 3 Chairman's Stakes (1000m), which has become a popular target with trainers wanting to give their horses three weeks' between runs.
Extreme Choice, Loving Gaby, Enthaar and Ennis Hill all started favourite or second favourite in the Diamond out of the Chairman's with Extreme Choice the only Chairman's runner to win the Diamond and Formality (third, 2017) the only other to place since the Chairman's took up its current spot on the calendar in 2012.
Which horse starts favourite may not be determined until raceday and the Diamond hasn't been a great race for favourites of late with Written By, who started $5.50, the only favourite to win in the past seven years with $9.50, $21, $13 and $26 the SP of the past four winners.
