Jockey Ben Melham likes the program set for Godolphin colt Zulfiqar in his search for victory in the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Melham partnered with the James Cummings-trained two-year-old to claim the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on Saturday.
The Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) will be run on February 25 and Melham likes the spacing of Saturday’s victory into Melbourne’s premier juvenile contest.
Zulfiqar ($7.50) led throughout to score a 1-¼ length win from the $2.60 unibet favourite Veecee with Tacito ($21) a further 1-¾ lengths away third.
“I quite like the schedule they’ve set for him,” Melham said.
“He’s had a couple of trials, one run then three weeks into the Diamond, it’s pretty good.”
Melham rode Zulfiqar when the colt was successful at Flemington in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial (1000m) at Flemington in October while William Buick had the mount when Zulfiqar finished fifth to Charm Stone in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) four weeks later.
The break between that spring campaign and the start of his autumn preparation has been beneficial according to Melham.
“With the break he’s definitely comeback a better horse,” Melham said.
“He’s stronger and James said that he was the first of his year that was born on the farm which for these two-year-olds, in general, has to count for something.
“He was able to control the race, got to the right part of the track and win pretty well, I thought.”
Melham says the rise to 1200m would not pose a problem for Zulfiqar in the Blue Diamond.
“He’s a very sensible horse. He was strong on the line and through the line, and that is very important for the Diamond,” Melham said.
“He looks like a three-year-old and in his first run he beat some handy horses and you would expect him to have improved off that break, which he has.”