You have to admire Lauren Stojakovic's honesty. Jockeys rarely admit to being anxious before a big race, but the Adelaide apprentice rider conceded to battling nerves earlier this week.Stojakovic learned on Monday that she had been given the chance to retain her association with Blue Diamond favourite Miracles of Life in the $120,000 Listed Blue Diamond Fillies Preview (1000m) at Caulfield this Saturday.It will be the biggest ride of the 29-year-old's career and she knows it. But she is also cer

You have to admire Lauren Stojakovic's honesty. Jockeys rarely admit to being anxious before a big race, but the Adelaide apprentice rider conceded to battling nerves earlier this week.

Stojakovic learned on Monday that she had been given the chance to retain her association with Blue Diamond favourite Miracles of Life in the $120,000 Listed Blue Diamond Fillies Preview (1000m) at Caulfield this Saturday.

It will be the biggest ride of the 29-year-old's career and she knows it. But she is also certain that nerves will not be her overriding emotion when the gates swing back at 2.50pm.

"On Monday I was first shocked to get the ride, then excited and then nervous," she said. "But yesterday I actually woke up and felt, 'I can do this, this will be OK' so as the days go on I'm feeling much more excited and less nervous."

Stojakovic - pronounced Stee-arka-vitch - and the Miracles of Life team, which include trainer Daniel Clarken and owner Teeley Assets Ltd, are an example that loyalty does still exist in racing.

Stojakovic rode Miracles of Life to dominant wins at her only two starts - the latest a nine-length romp at Morphettville that promoted her to Blue Diamond favouritism - and has been given the nod despite the lure of engaging a jockey more accustomed to big-race pressure.

"I guess I was always hopeful, but I didn't really think that they would choose to keep me on," she said. "But they have, so it's awesome."

Stojakovic knows the commitment is for Saturday only and that the Preview will not only tell a lot about her, but also Miracles of Life.

The daughter of Not a Single Doubt is part of a hot field that includes Montsegur, the filly the Peter Snowden stable regards its Blue Diamond series "top seed", and impressive city winners Diamond Glow, Bulbula, Donna Madeira and Swing Vote.

"It looks like a really good race, so it will definitely give us a good guide, because I don't know that she's beaten a huge amount of talent here (in Adelaide)," Stojakovic said.

"But what she has done she's done so well. She' hasn't just beaten them, she's really beaten them, so I think she's up to it.

"We're happy with the barrier draw (six). She's on-pace filly, but you let her do her own thing and she'll put herself there, so I think from six she should get a nice position and hopefully all will be good."

Stojakovic will then start thinking about the $1 million Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes, at Caulfield on 23 February. Miracles of Life is not yet nominated for Victoria's premier juvenile race and needs to run well to prompt connections to pay the $55,000 late entry fee.

"If I can go out there on Saturday and ride a good race on her and we can go well together again, then hopefully they'll find it too hard to split us up."

The fillies Preview is one of two Blue Diamond qualifiers to be run at Caulfield this Saturday with the boys to also get the chance to impress in a $120,000 Listed event of their own.

The Peter Moody-trained Thermal Current and Darley's Kuroshio head betting for the event that also includes Excitable Boy for the in-form Danny O'Brien stable and intriguing debutant Dissident, a stablemate of Thermal Current.

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