There exists a widely held belief that a horse with 2000-metre capabilities is required to win a major mile race at Randwick. This theory might offer supporters of Linebacker a reason for optimism heading into the $2 million Five Diamonds.
The gelding is set to compete beyond 1600 metres for the first time this Saturday in the 1800-metre Rosehill feature. His impressive resume includes a Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) victory at three years old and a highly unfortunate eighth place in the 2025 Doncaster Mile (1600m).
Co-trainer John O’Shea is quietly confident, suggesting that Linebacker’s chances will hinge on his ability to relax during the race, allowing him to conserve energy for the finish.
“It’s a risk until you do it. He will just have to execute well,” O’Shea commented.
“If he goes to sleep for the first part, he should be right.
“He’s in great form, and he’s coming to a nice peak on Saturday.”
While Linebacker has, at times, been a puzzle for punters, his recent performances this spring have been strong. He commenced his campaign with a fourth in the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m), followed by a placing in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) behind the talented Formal Display, and was only denied victory by Declichy Boulevarde in the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m).
Declichy Boulevarde is expected to be among his rivals once more at Rosehill. Although Linebacker will benefit from a 2-1/2 kilo weight swing in his favour, O’Shea understands the challenge posed by Declichy Boulevarde.
“Full credit to ‘Declichy’ the other day. She has been airborne, so we knew she’d be the one to beat,” he remarked.
“He just got flushed out because he had a horse on his outside and he (jockey Zac Lloyd) said, ‘I mightn’t get the opportunity to take the run, so I had to go’.
“He ran well, and it was a good pipe-opener for this week.”
O’Shea and his training partner Tom Charlton have also opted to race Mr Chaplin again, following his seventh-place finish in a chaotic edition of the Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Tuesday.
Vivy Air finished second in the Melbourne Cup Day feature last year before proceeding to win the Five Diamonds just four days later. If Mr Chaplin performs well for the stable in the lead-up, he will be given the opportunity to achieve a similar result.
“It’s an opportunity only once in their life to run in this race,” O’Shea said. “He’s a big, tough horse. He’s got a little improvement out of (the Big Dance), so it wouldn’t be outside the realms of possibility.”
Zac Lloyd will guide Linebacker from barrier seven, while Mr Chaplin has drawn gate eleven with Andrew Adkins booked to ride.
Linebacker is a strong contender in The Five Diamonds; consider exploring the betting markets available at various sports betting platforms.
