Cranbourne trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock have swayed away from the more conventional route to the Blue Diamond Stakes with Serasana.
A debut winner at Sandown over 1000m in December, Serasana runs over the same course and distance in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes on Saturday.
A win, or a forward showing, will see the filly return to Sandown for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 25.
Having tasted success on debut at Sandown, Griffiths and de Kock reasoned the filly did not require hard racing ahead of the Blue Diamond.
For that reason, they resisted the temptation of tackling the Blue Diamond Series, firstly the Preview over 1000m on January 26 and then the Prelude (1100m) at Sandown on Saturday week.
“We were contemplating going the traditional path, the Blue Diamond Preview into the Prelude and then into the final,” Griffiths said.
“But when she had that run in December and as she’s not a big, gross filly, more an athletic filly, there was not a lot of need to go that path.
“If she goes really well on Saturday and impresses again, then we can go into the Blue Diamond off a light campaign, and it keeps room up our sleeve for other options as well.
“With these athletic fillies, you don’t want to be peaking too early, so we would prefer her to be peaking in the Blue Diamond rather than in the Prelude.”
Following her debut win, Serasana was given a breather before returning to the stable ahead of a jumpout at Sandown on January 16 in which she finished third.
Griffiths said the jump-out was what the stable wanted to see from the filly.
“It’s always good to go back to a track where she has been, and we’d like to think that will help with her chances in this race,” Griffiths said.
“We think that she will go there and be competitive, but also knowing there is that room for improvement heading towards the Blue Diamond.”