STUNNING debutant Heatherly rocketed to third favorite for the Blue Diamond on the back of her sizzling speed display in the Fujitsa Plate last night at Moonee Valley.
The Matt Ellerton/Simon Zahra trained filly coasted to an unextended one and three-quarter length win, which saw bookmakers promote her to a $9 equal third favorite with sportsbet.com.au and tab.com.au.
TAB offered as much as $201 about Heatherly, a daughter of Lonhro, as recently as January 30.
Heatherly attracted two bets of $100 at $201 as well as two $50 each way at $201 and support continued at $101 and $51.
She settled at $31 on Thursday, but renewed support yesterday saw her at $16 before she produced a brilliant all-the-way win.
Fontiton is Diamond joint favorite at $4.60 with Secret Agenda with Tab.com.au with Heatherly on the third line with Of The Brave
Significantly, Heatherly ran just .005 seconds slower than Chloe In Paris and .033 seconds slower than Matilija, both older horses which won over the 1000 metres last night.
Heatherly’s win saw her jump to equal 22 on the order of entry for the $1 million Blue Diamond.
With a number of horses above her - Burnstone, which died tragically on the training track last Tuesday, the injuredOutreach and Godolphin’s Calaverite and Igraine, which are expected to remain in Sydney, Heatherly is on the doorstep of gaining a run in the Diamond, which starts 16.
The Diamond picture changes dramatically as the February 28 draws closer with a number of Diamond prospects engaged in the Chairman’s Stakes and the two Inglis races today