Applegate worth another chance in Diamond Stakes

By Mark Ryan

MELBOURNE, Feb 23 AAP - The Peter Snowden stable believes filly Applegate is worth another chance in Saturday's $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield after having no luck when resuming.

The stable won the race for the first time with star colt Sepoy last year and will saddle up Applegate, who will jump from barrier one, and Rusambo who drew barrier 16.

Exceed And Excel filly Applegate beat subsequent impressive winners Snitzerland and Alezan Thunder when she won the Emirates Airlines Stakes (1000m) at Flemington last spring.

But everything went wrong when she finished eighth, 9-1/2 lengths behind Blue Diamond favourite Samaready, in the fillies Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on February 11.

"She blew the start. It's just one of those things that happen so you move on and look forward to Saturday," Melbourne stable foreman Paul Snowden said.

"She's probably been our number one flag-bearer for the race so I wouldn't be dropping off her at all.

"I assumed Kerrin (McEvoy) was going to go for the colt (Rusambo), but obviously the barrier draw has swung him and he's chosen the filly.

"Hopefully he knows how good they are, he's been riding them. They worked well Tuesday together."

Rusambo, placed at all three starts without winning, also had a tale of woe first-up when blocked for a run before barging through to finish a long neck second to General Rippa in the colts and geldings Prelude.

"He just couldn't get a run at a vital stage and he got quite badly hampered," Snowden said.

"He's a really nice horse.

"With the emergencies out, Rusambo comes in to 12 which is pretty much the middle. I think you'll find he'll get back a little further than what he did in the small field last time.

"That's his normal race pattern anyway. He's a good finisher, he's trained on well and he was unlucky not to win the other day.

"With great speed on one of them (Applegate) will go forward and one (Rusambo) will balance up in the second half of the field and hopefully they can both be in the finish."

Snowden said there was a lot more pressure going into the race with $1.40 chance Sepoy who went on to win by 4-1/4 lengths.

"This year is quite relaxed and we're just grateful that we've got two live chances in a very open race," he said.

The Mick Price-trained filly Samaready dominates the betting at $2.10 with TAB Sportsbet, well clear of The Travelling Man at $10, Jimando ($11), No Looking Back ($13), late entry Formidable ($15) with Armed for Action at $16 and Mama's Choice at $17.

Applegate and Rusambo are both at $21.

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