Filly drawn for cover
BREEDER Anthony Mithen says he is happy with Brooklyn Hustle’s barrier for Saturday’s $1.5 million Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
The gun filly will jump from barrier 11 with Beau Mertens on board and Rosemont Stud’s Mithen says it will give the hoop options out of the gates.
“We’re not too unhappy with it. I’d rather be there than drawn on the inside and be dictated to on the rail,” Mithen said.
“I’d like to see her ridden positively (in) midfield . . . three wide with cover and then she can peel out and make her run when she needs to.
“That was the plan last time (in the Blue Diamond Prelude) and wasn’t executed perfectly, so we will have another go at it this week.”
Brooklyn Hustle galloped at Caulfield yesterday with trainer Jason Warren using the trip as another chance for his filly to get more experience at the track.
Mithen said she worked impressively with elder stablemate and open class sprinter Bel Sonic.
Mertens and Warren were more than satisfied with the two-year-old’s hitout.
“We had the option to take her out and gallop her at Pakenham and it’s a beautiful surface, but we thought given the way she got around the home turn here at Caulfield in the Prelude that we would just give her another look at the track,” Warren said.
“We had a nice horse in Bel Sonic to lead her up in the gallop and he just gave her a nice lead up. So it was perfect. “Beau was rapt with her. “She’s right where we need her now. We trained her to have that first-up run in the Prelude to bring her to a peak and not do it on the training track. We’ll know if it’s worked on Saturday.”
Mertens said he was “very happy” with the work.
“I just sat off Bel Sonic and she travelled really nicely for me,” he said.
“It was good to get her out here and get a look around for the second time and the last 200m was really good.
“She was strong and she picked up when I wanted her to and pulled up looking bright.”
She was an impressive winner on debut at The Valley on December 1 before finishing fifth in the fillies Prelude at Caulfield last Saturday week.
Mertens rode Brooklyn Hustle on debut and is back aboard on Saturday chasing his first Group 1 win.
Ben Melham rode the filly in the Prelude and had committed to riding her in the Blue Diamond, but asked to be released so he could stick with unbeaten colt I Am Immortal.
Mithen said Mertens was a logical choice to replace Melham. “We had to have a jockey on that believed in her rather than one that is second guessing,” he said.
“It was the obvious choice to go back to Beau, he has ridden her and won on her.”