Lady Of Camelot primed to shine bright in Group 1 Blue Diamond at Caulfield

Legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse would “love to tick off” her first Group 1 Blue Diamond on Saturday and will be wearing her lucky charm.

Legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse and her “lucky charm”, a Blue Diamond ring won by her father Tommy Smith. Picture: Timothy Burgess/VRC

First lady of Australian racing Gai Waterhouse wants her own “lucky charm” to go with an inherited gem of Blue Diamond success.

Waterhouse holds dear a bespoke diamond ring legendary father Tommy Smith, a three-time Blue Diamond winner, received in 1986 after Bounding Away saluted.

Smith also won Blue Diamonds with John’s Hopes (1972) and Blazing Saddles (1977).

The Blue Diamond, Melbourne’s premier race for two-year-olds, is arguably the biggest prize outside of the Cox Plate to elude 158-time Group 1 winner Waterhouse.

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Despite winning a record seven Golden Slippers since 2001, Waterhouse has struggled in the Blue Diamond albeit from limited opportunities.

Wager (2004) and No Looking Back (2012) finished second in respective editions.

She has saddled two unplaced Blue Diamond starters the past five years.

“It’s one I’d love to tick off on,” Waterhouse said.

“I maybe haven’t sent down quite the right horse, we have run second in it a couple of times but never won it, hopefully this might be it.”

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Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, has $6.50 equal third favourite Lady Of Camelot in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on Saturday at Caulfield.

Coleman, trained by Matt Laurie, remains a firm $4.20 favourite with TAB from Bodyguard ($5.50), one of three Peter and Paul Snowden juveniles in the $2m feature.

Prizemoney and prestige aside, winning connections receive blue diamond-encrusted cufflinks (trainer and jockey) and a striking necklace (owner).

Lady Of Camelot returned with a big win in the Widden Stakes at Rosehill earlier this month. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Waterhouse has dominated two-year-old racing this season with 17 wins from 49 starters.

The haul includes the Magic Millions Classic with Storm Boy, a short-priced favourite for the Golden Slipper, Shangri La Express (Golden Gift), Fully Lit (Inglis Millennium), Prost (Canonbury Stakes) and Espionage (Breeders’ Plate).

Lady Of Camelot travelled to Melbourne for the Blue Diamond after winning the Group 3 Widden Stakes first-up at Rosehill by 2¾ lengths.

“It was a hard decision (Blue Diamond or wait for Golden Slipper) to make but we spoke long and hard with the owner, Sir Owen Glenn, we just felt she would be very well placed here,” Waterhouse said.

“She’s got great speed, a very cruisy filly, she ran fabulous times when she won her race the other day … she’s a very smart filly.”

Lady Of Camelot is an $11 equal third favourite with TAB for the Golden Slipper on March 23 at Rosehill behind stablemate Storm Boy ($2.80) and Switzerland ($6).

Blue Diamond favourites Coleman and Bodyguard are $15 and $17 for the Golden Slipper.

Waterhouse has eyes only for the Blue Diamond with Lady Of Camelot.

“You really have to play two-year-olds day by day,” Waterhouse said.

“I often say to people, ‘they’re a bit like boiling an egg, you can turn up the heat a little bit too much and they’re overcooked or you can turn it down and they’re a bit soft and runny’.

“You literally got to take them day to day.”

Originally published as Lady Of Camelot primed to shine bright in Group 1 Blue Diamond at Caulfield