Party For Two connections to pay Blue Diamond late entry fee

The connections of Queensland filly Party For Two will stump up the $55,000 late entry fee for the Blue Diamond and are confident she won’t be making up the numbers.

Nikita Beriman aboard Blue Diamond Stakes contender Party For Two. Picture: Getty Images

Damien Batters has told Party For Two’s Blue Diamond rivals to “watch out” after revealing connections are set to fork out the $55,000 late entry fee for the Group 1 dash at Sandown.

The fairytale two-year-old Queensland filly ran the race of her life when she turned up at Sandown sight unseen to finish runner-up behind Godolphin galloper Exploring in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (fillies) last Saturday.

Exploring’s winning time was half a second quicker than boom Godolphin stablemate Barber ran in colts and geldings Prelude.

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For finishing second, Party Of Two’s connections picked up $54,000 which is $1000 less than they will need to find to pay the late entry fee for the Blue Diamond on February 25.

The deadline for late entries is next Monday and Batters confirmed, all going well with the filly, the late entry fee would be paid.

And he insists his filly – who destroyed her opposition in her most two most recent Queensland starts before going to Melbourne – is a quick learner.

Party For Two on the way to the barriers prior to the running of the Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) where she finished runner-up. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Party For Two is being stabled at Cranbourne, not having seen Sandown before racing there last Saturday, and he thinks she will be a massive improver in the Blue Diamond.

“Whenever you ask her something new, or try something new, she excels,” Batters said.

“So watch out next time at Sandown.

“Now she has been there she will be a force in the Blue Diamond, because she will find lengths.

“True to everything I have said all the way through, it’s all dependent on how the filly is going.

“We have got until 12pm next Monday to pay the late entry fee.

“This filly has taken us on a journey and once she has decided she’s doesn’t want to continue, then I will pull the pin on her campaign.

“But if she ticks all the boxes, she is going to the Blue Diamond.”

Before heading to Melbourne, Party For Two was virtually unknown outside of Queensland.

The filly was twice passed in at the sales before ending up with Batters, a former furniture salesman who turned his hand to training on the Sunshine Coast.

Party For Two (left) chases Exploring home in the Blue Diamond Prelude (fillies) at Sandown. Picture: Getty Images

Jockey Nikita Beriman will stay on Party For Two in the Blue Diamond where the filly is currently a $26 chance.

Batters insists his filly won’t be there just to make up the numbers against the big guns.

“I think if you switch the barriers with the winner last Saturday, I think we would have won,” Batters said.

“She looked like she could have been battling at the 300(m) but Nikita told me afterwards it wasn’t a problem because she had nursed the filly through the dip.

“Once Nikita she said ‘let’s go’, it was the first time she has ever used the whip on the filly and she found lengths and she kept finding.”

Whatever happens in the Blue Diamond, Party For Two has already taken Batters and connections on the ride of a lifetime.

She has won two of her four starts, collected $168,000 in prizemoney and is Group 2 placed.

Originally published as Party For Two connections to pay Blue Diamond late entry fee