Craig Williams faced a tricky decision after partnering both Catchy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Property (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) to victory in their respective Diamond Prelude wins at Caulfield on Saturday and the jockey announced his intention on Monday to stick with the Hayes/Dabernig trained filly Catchy in the G1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond S. Feb. 25. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald Williams admitted the decision was “extremely difficult” and added. “They are both in fabulous form and they've all got an excellent racing style and it seemed every time they went to the races they won. When they came home they thrived and licked the bin out. It was a wonderful position to be in but at the same time I had to be totally sure the horse I was riding was the way to go. There are some good friends and some very good trainers involved but at the end of the day Catchy is the race favourite, she is unbeaten and she's a very easy filly to ride.”
Williams is just hoping the status quo remains for the next twelve days and is well aware that a lot can happen a 2-year-old within that timescale. “Two-year-old races like this are not that easy. They can go shin sore one minute, they can go off their feed or they could just lose form. When they're this young they're very unpredictable. I've just got to hope that Catchy remains in one piece in the next fortnight. I didn't have the luxury of waiting for the barrier draw but all of these owners and trainers have been sensationally patient, but they all needed an answer.”
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