Racing
Melham makes call on Diamond ride
Top jockey opts to ride filly in Blue Diamond Stakes
Not for the first time, a jockey has given up the ride on a Mick Price-trained favourite in the Blue Diamond to ride a rival runner.
News broke on Monday morning that Ben Melham had committed to the Clinton Mcdonald-trained Streisand in the $2 million Group 1 for two-year-olds at Caulfield on February 21.
Melham rode Streisand to victory in last Saturday's Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies.
Seven days earlier, Melham partnered the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained Big Sky to a brilliant win in the Group 3 Chairman's Stakes (1000m).
Big Sky, who will be ridden by Jordan Childs in the Blue Diamond, is now $4 favourite for Victoria's only Group 1 juvenile race with Streisand an $8 chance.
Ten years ago Damien Oliver had the choice of Price-trained colts Extreme Choice and Flying Artie in the Blue Diamond and elected to ride the latter, who was runner-up to his stablemate – who had Craig Newitt aboard – in the Blue Diamond.
That was one of two wins in the race for Price, who was also successful with Samaready in 2012.
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