With the march towards the $2m G1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) now on in earnest, Saturday’s running of the $250,000 G3 MRC Blue Diamond Preview (F) (1000m) at Caulfield saw a surprise result with Greg Eurell’s Rubi Choice taking the prize as one of the outsiders in the field.

2020 European Horse of the Year Ghaiyyath (IRE) got his first Group I winner in Australia last spring in Victoria Derby hero Observer and had his second overnight when Opera Ballo took the G1 Jebel Hatta (1m1f), while the other G1 on the card at Meydan also had a winner of serious interest for a different reason.