By Bren O'Brien
Godolphin's pair Athiri (Lonhro) and Lyre (Lonhro) received mixed fortunes at the barrier draw for Saturday's $1.5m G1 Blue Diamond S, drawing barriers 13 and 5 respectively for Victoria's richest 2-year-old race.
James Cummings has enjoyed a superb run with his juveniles this season, with 12 wins and is hoping to continue that theme with Athiri, who won on debut at Rosehill with some authority in December before finishing third in the Blue Diamond Prelude at her most recent run.
"I thought her run was enormous and she's taken good match fitness from it," Cummings told Racing.com. "She just looks hard and tough now."
"She was there to win but she did not quite have the race fitness. But she will this weekend." - James Cummings
"That sort of experience - not being afforded a cushy run and being put into the race three-wide outside the leader at her first attempt at Caulfield - stands her in pretty good stead and I feel like it will be the right sort of trial for the grand final in the Blue Diamond this weekend."
"She was there to win but she did not quite have the race fitness. But she will this weekend."
She will need to be on her game having come up with the second widest barrier in the 14-horse field, but four of the past five winners of the race have come from barrier 11 or wider.
"I think that it's an even bunch of 2-year-olds and I don't think we've seen the best of the good ones yet," Cummings said.
"None of the horses have been jumping out of the ground to be a rock-solid favourite and I think it will take the improver to come along and win this race and because of that, Athiri really fits the bill for us."
"I don't think we've seen the best of the good ones yet." - James Cummings
"But we have a really healthy respect for the opposition. I have no doubt that these horses will continue to improve after the Blue Diamond and be threats for the Sydney horses when they get up there later."
Key among that opposition is the other Godolphin filly in Lyre, who is trained by Anthony Freedman.
She beat Athiri by 0.7l last start, having tracked her in the run and powered over the top of her late.
Lyre is drawn to get the perfect run from barrier five and she is now on the third line of betting.
Godolphin has never won the Blue Diamond in the all-blue colours with its last winner in the race being Earthquake (Exceed and Excel), who carried the Darley colours.
Wide draws for favoured pair
Lyre's stablemate I Am Immortal (I Am Invincible), who won the colts division of the Prelude, came up with barrier nine and has drifted in betting, whilst ruling favourite Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) had her hold at the top of the market loosened having come up with barrier 12.
But the wide barrier is of no concern to Loving Gaby's co-trainer, Ciaron Maher.
"I was thinking eight to somewhere around there," Maher, who trains with David Eustace, said. "I didn't want to have her boxed in on the rail if she did break like she did the other day."
"I didn't want to have her boxed in on the rail if she did break like she did the other day." - Ciaron Maher
"She had to get a bit of luck pushing out there whereas being drawn where she is, she's probably wide with cover."
"There's only one bend here at Caulfield so it's not too much of an issue as long as she gets her opportunity in the race."
