Daumier Prevails in Blue Diamond Thriller

Over the years the Freedman Family have very much made the Neds Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) their own, and Feb. 26 Anthony and Sam Freedman wrote their name into the record books once more when the Godolphin-raced Daumier followed up Artorius' triumph in last year's edition to hand the training partnership back-to-back victories in Victoria's premier juvenile race at Caulfield Racecourse, while the win added to the victory of Godolphin's Lyre, trained by Anthony, in 2019.

Ridden By Mark Zahra, Daumier was positioned just behind the leading division and was peeled wide rounding the home turn and struck the front midway down the straight.

A 2nd Group 1 @NedsAus Blue Diamond S. over 1200m at Caulfield in 4 years for @godolphin with Daumier prevailing in the $1.5 million flyer. Winner on debut & Group 3rd two weeks ago, Daumier is by Epaulette from a daughter of multiple Group winner Parables (inc. Surround Stakes). pic.twitter.com/uz7BMckjJb

— Aushorse (@Aushorse_TBA) February 26, 2022

The son of Epaulette   survived a late challenge from Revolutionary Miss to score a short-half-head win with Jacquinot, the $4.40 favorite, a neck away third. Daumier, who won the Neds Blue Diamond Preview on debut on Jan. 26, before finishing third in the Feb. 12 Neds Blue Diamond Prelude (G3). The colt had the blinkers applied Saturday, which Zahra believed made the difference.

"His work (in blinkers) was really good on Tuesday morning and I was still a bit cautious—I thought he's definitely got a better hope than he did without them—and I was just able to get to a spot where I was able to get room and to really get at him, which he needs, and he responded," he said.

Anthony, when training in his own right, won the Blue Diamond with Lyre in 2019 and he triumphed again last year with his son Sam when Artorius swooped late in the day. It would have been a Freedman sweep in the Blue Diamond in the last four years, had Tagaloa not denied Hanseatic victory in the 2020 edition of the race.

Sam Freedman was quick to pay tribute to the whole team at Pinecliff.

"Just proud of the whole team,'' he said. "It's been a fair sort of build up to this but the staff at Pinecliff and Flemington, I stand here and do the interviews after a win like this but they're doing all the hard work," he told Racing.com.

"Mark Zahra gave him a great ride. To Godolphin, they've supported us with a handful of horses every year and everyone there is a pleasure to deal with, they let us place the horses as we wish.

"To the horse's credit, he really knuckled down there late. This colt has shown very good ability from day one and it's nice to see it come to fruition."

Freedman said they always had a big opinion of the colt and was confident the 1200-meter trip would bring out the best in the 2-year-old.

"The preview (when he ran third) was a look and see,'' he said. "We probably didn't think he would win over 1000 meters, we always thought he would be better over 1200. He won that but he had a good look around late.

"We toyed with the idea of putting winkers on him or something for the prelude. Ultimately we needed to find a couple of lengths today, it was the same story probably with Artorius last year. He worked super in them on Tuesday.

"You've got to be right on top of your game and thankfully he was today.''

Bred by Godolphin, Daumier is out of Illustrate (Street Cry), an unraced daughter of the multiple group stakes-winning Darley filly Parables (Lohnro).