Everything points to yet another eye-catching performance from Brave Halo in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts & Geldings) at Sandown on Saturday.
The emerging sprinter from Western Australia goes into the Group 3 feature over 1100m as the second favourite at $3.60 across betting sites.
And he’ll have conditions in his favour.
The Melbourne track was rated a Good 4 on Friday, and more fine conditions are expected for the weekend.
Brave Halo is undefeated from three career starts, and all of those wins at Ascot came on Good 4 surfaces.
He has also drawn barrier three, champion jockey Damien Oliver will ride him and all horses will carry 57kg in the set-weight sprint.
That is without mentioning how much talent the two-year-old possesses.
Co-trainer Sean Casey believes his colt is “the whole box and dice” and the best horse he has had under his care.
The young gun has also settled in beautifully to his new environment after flying across the country from Perth.
“He’s run good times on Good surfaces, mainly being Good 4s, so you know he’ll handle that part,” Casey told HorseBetting.com.au.
“We’re very lucky to have Damien’s experience on him for Sandown, so every box is ticked at the moment.
“He just has to come through with the goods.”
Brave Halo’s last start was particularly exciting for Casey and his son Jake, after they watched him romp home to score by 5 ½ lengths in a two-year-old sprint worth $80,000 at Ascot on November 5.
Ascot R1 replay | 5/11/2022 | Brave Halo (1st)
It has certainly been a memorable journey for the Caseys while watching their precocious sprinter develop over his first three starts.
“After his first race we thought he was the most intelligent horse in the race, which got him over the line,” Casey said.
“And the form line from that race in WA – the horses behind him, especially the third and fourth horses – they’ve gone on and won races.
“The second (Live To Tell) for Simon Miller was an odds-on favourite – he’s got a super opinion of it.
“So his first race he beat a talented field of horses, and he ran a time doing it.
“In his second race he spaced them running time.
“And in his third race he ran time. He’s confirmed that he has got ability as well as a cool attitude.”
It is this type of laid-back mindset which has allowed Brave Halo to settle in beautifully at his new temporary home in the visitors’ stables at Flemington.
“We brought a partner over with him from WA, so it’s worked well for him,” Casey said.
“They went to Sandown on Tuesday and ‘Ollie’ worked Brave Halo.
“And he was very happy with him. He pulled up well after that gallop on Tuesday.
“He did a bit of pace work (on Thursday) and he’ll be kept on ice till the race on Saturday.
“Everything is good. The visitors’ boxes are more or less identical to mine at home.
“So he’s just settled in, and the visitors’ barn is now full.”
Casey said Brave Halo would be ready to meet his expectations on Saturday, with Barber the $3.20 favourite for James Cummings’ Godolphin stable.
“It’s a really good environment and he’s just taken it in his stride,” the WA conditioner said.
“Now he’s done a trip to Sandown as well and he’s seen the track.
“It’s ideal. So hopefully he’ll just take his best game to the races on Saturday and he should be competitive.”
There did not appear to be any weaknesses in Brave Halo’s armoury in his last-start victory over 1100m at Ascot on November 5.
The way he stalked early leader Shell Bell on his outside, smoothly overtook him at the turn and then comfortably found an extra couple of gears on the straight were all first-class.
“Probably (the best horse I’ve had in my stables) in every attribute. I’ve had as good and better,” Casey said.
“But you have your stories where he wasn’t completely sound, or if he had better confirmation.
“This bloke is sound and got great confirmation. He’s got a great attitude, great gate speed and stamina to the line.
“He’s the whole box and dice at the moment.
“He’s got to face up to some very tidy two-year-olds on Saturday, and all going well he’ll have to ooze class with the fillies (in the Blue Diamond Stakes) as well.”
Despite Casey being delighted with the raw talent Brave Halo possesses, he said for him to start in the $5 million Golden Slipper on March 18 would be like achieving the “near-impossible”.
But if he lives up to his potential on Saturday and goes into the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes with confidence on February 25, that incredible dream would suddenly appear a lot closer.
“He would have to really take everything before him. His form is anti-clockwise, so that’s something you’d have to keep in mind – to go clockwise in Sydney,” Casey said.
“So at the moment we wouldn’t try to fix what’s not broken. But if he happened to do the near-impossible, you would consider Sydney.
“But the Blue Diamond at the moment is his grand final.”
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