TOP STORYLINES: MITTY VS. PINEWOOD, AGAIN

Pinewood has reached the Central Coast Section Open Division girls basketball final an unprecedented nine consecutive times. Not even Archbishop Mitty has done that.

But the Panthers’ path to 10 in a row has never been more daunting.

Seeded fourth, Pinewood will have to win at top-seeded Mitty on Wednesday night to capture Pool A and advance to the final Friday at Santa Clara University.

Mitty is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. It has blown out all comers since facing elite national competition during the holiday tournament season.

The Monarchs are a heavy favorite on Wednesday, even if UConn-bound Morgan Cheli continues to sit out because of an undisclosed injury.

But let’s make one thing clear. Pinewood is never intimidated to play Mitty. The Los Altos Hills school led by longtime coach Doc Scheppler has beaten an undefeated, national No. 1 Mitty before. In triple overtime, for the NorCal Open Division championship, six years ago.

Pinewood also knocked off Mitty for the CCS Open crown during the spring pandemic season in 2021.

Mitty has won the past two games between the teams, both for the CCS Open title.

Pinewood had hoped for another shot at Mitty in the final. But as the No. 4 seed, the Panthers ended up in the same pool as Mitty. Asked Wednesday about playing the Monarchs again, Scheppler said in a text, “One game before we wanted but we’re up for the challenge.”

SURPRISES

Whereas Pool A has unfolded predictably, Pool B on the girls side has turned upside down.

On Monday, No. 6 St. Ignatius beat No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral 61-46 and No. 7 Los Gatos upset No. 3 Priory 44-40.

With the final round set for Wednesday, St. Ignatius is 2-0, SHC and Los Gatos are each 1-1 and Priory is 0-2.

SI will advance to the final with a victory at home over Los Gatos on Wednesday. If SI loses, it would still move on if SHC beats Priory. (SI wins a three-way tiebreaker between itself, Los Gatos and SHC).

If Los Gatos and Priory win, Los Gatos would win a two-way tiebreaker with SI because of the head-to-head result.

GAME DETAILS

Open Division boys

No. 1 Archbishop Riordan 62, No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep 45: Behind 17 points from Zion Sensley and 13 from Andrew Young, Riordan improved to 2-0 in Pool A with a victory on the road over Sacred Heart Prep. TJ OBrien had 18 points for SHP. The game was played at SHP as Riordan served out the final game of a penalty for its part in a fight against Inderkum-Sacramento during a NorCal regional last season. Riordan will be back at home on Wednesday to play Serra for a spot in Friday’s final.

No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 73, No. 6 Branham 56: Mitty is one step closer to playing for its sixth CCS Open Division title after turning back visiting Branham in the second round of pool play on Monday. Gavin Ripp scored 19 points and Nathan d’Abreu Noronha added 18 to lead the Monarchs. Mitty also got 11 points each from Tyler Jones and Caeden Hutcherson. The Monarchs (20-6) and third-seeded St. Ignatius are 2-0 in Pool B. They will meet on Wednesday at Mitty for a spot in the final on Friday at Santa Clara University. Branham fell to 0-2 in pool play. On Monday, the Bruins got 21 points from Dasan Poston and 11 from Ben Lim. Branham (22-4) will close out pool play on Wednesday at home against Half Moon Bay before moving on to NorCals next week.

Open Division girls

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 86, No. 5 Archbishop Riordan 28: Another game, another massive blowout for powerhouse Mitty, which is a victory on Wednesday over South Bay rival Pinewood from playing for the Open Division championship on Friday at Santa Clara University. Mitty was again without injured UConn-bound star Morgan Cheli. Once again, the Monarchs had no trouble on the court. McKenna Woliczko scored 23 points, Elana Weisman had 13 points and Belle Bramer finished with 10 points as Mitty improved to 26-0. Ashanti Dias scored 12 points for Riordan, which fell to 15-10 overall and 0-2 in Pool A. The Crusaders play host to St. Francis on Wednesday in the final round of pool play.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Michigan State’s men’s basketball returns home for a pair of games at the Breslin Center this week, starting with the lone matchup of the season with Iowa on Tuesday, Feb. 20 (7 p.m., Peacock). MSU has won its last three games, five of the last six and 13 of their last 17 games.

About the Spartans

• Michigan State enters Tuesday’s game against Iowa with a 17-9 overall record (9-6 B1G) following a 73-63 win at Michigan.
• The Spartans completed a season sweep of Michigan with a 73-63 win on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
• MSU is No. 20 in the NET rankings, No. 15 in KenPom and No. 16 in the ESPN BPI.
• The Spartans are No. 15 in the BartTorvik.com tempo free stats, No. 29 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 18 in defensive efficiency.
• MSU ranks No. 23 in the country in FG% defense (40.3%) and No. 35 in scoring defense (65.8 ppg), No. 46 in FG% (47.4%), No. 23 in assists per game (16.8) and No. 11 in assist/turnover ratio (1.70).
• The Spartans have four players scoring in double figures, and 10 with at least 3.0 points, while nine players average at least 10 minutes per game.
• Through 26 games, graduate guard Tyson Walker leads the team in scoring with 18.4 points per game, connecting on 45.9 percent of his shots … In Big Ten games, Walker is averaging 17.3 ppg and 2.9 assists, while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.
• Graduate forward Malik Hall, who has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games and 12 of the last 14 overall, is second on the team with 12.7 points, while adding 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists … In league games, Hall is averaging 14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 2.0 apg.
• In the last 10 games, forward Malik Hall is averaging 16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg and shooting 60.8% from the field, including 53.3% 3FG.
• Senior guard A.J. Hoggard is tied for third on the team with 11.2 points, while adding 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists, which ranks fifth in the B1G.
• Junior guard Jaden Akins, who scored a career-high 23 points against Michigan and has been in double figures in 12 of the last 16 games, is tied for on the team with 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Tre Holloman is averaging 5.4 points and is third on the team with 2.7 assists.
• Senior forward Mady Sissoko adds 3.8 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds.
• Freshman forward Coen Carr contributes 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds and sophomore center Carson Cooper adds 3.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, while freshman forward Xavier Booker is averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds.

About Iowa

• Iowa enters the game on Tuesday night with a 15-11 overall record and a 7-8 mark in the Big Ten following an 88-86 overtime win at home against Wisconsin.
• Since losing their first three in league play, the Hawkeyes have won seven of their last 12 games.
• Iowa is 2-5 in Big Ten road games, with wins at Minnesota (86-77) on Jan. 15 and at Michigan on Jan. 27 (88-78).
• Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring offense (83.7 ppg) and 13th in the league in scoring defense (65.8 ppg) … In conference games only, the Hawkeyes are third in the league in scoring offense (78.7 ppg) and 14th in scoring defense (80.7 ppg).

Series History

• Michigan State and Iowa meet for the only time this season and for the 137th time in program history … MSU leads the all-time series with Iowa, 77-59.
• The Spartans are 47-19 at home all-time against the Hawkeyes, including a 22-4 record at the Breslin Center.
• The teams split a pair of games last year, with MSU winning at home 63-61 and Iowa securing the second meeting 112-106 in double overtime.
• Iowa has won four of the last five games in the series.
• The Spartans have won four of the last five at home.
• Tom Izzo is 35-15 in his career against Iowa.

The game will air live on Peacock, with Noah Eagle and Robbie Hummel calling all of the action.

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather.

Copyright 2024 WILX. All rights reserved.

Boys basketball

Open Division

Pool A

Friday’s games

No. 1 Archbishop Riordan 79, No. 8 Bellarmine 32

No. 4 Serra 59, No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep 49

Monday’s games

No. 1 Archbishop Riordan 62, No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep 45

No. 4 Serra 53, No. 8 Bellarmine 50

Wednesday’s games

No. 4 Serra (19-7, 2-0) at No. 1 Archbishop Riordan (22-4, 2-0), 7 p.m.

No. 8 Bellarmine (10-16, 0-2) at No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep (20-6, 0-2), 7 p.m.

Pool B

Friday’s games

No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 75, No. 7 Half Moon Bay 51.

No. 3 St. Ignatius 68, No. 6 Branham 52

Monday’s games

No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 73, No. 6 Branham 56

No. 3 St. Ignatius 67, No. 7 Half Moon Bay 48

Wednesday’s games

No. 3 St. Ignatius (20-6, 2-0) at No. 2 Archbishop Mitty (20-6, 2-0), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Half Moon Bay (19-7, 0-2) at No. 6 Branham (22-4, 0-2), 7 p.m.

Friday’s final

Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner at Santa Clara University, 8 p.m.

Division I

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 11 Alvarez (16-10) at No. 3 Santa Teresa (18-6), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Leigh (16-8) at No. 2 Los Gatos (18-6), 7 p.m. 

No. 5 Carlmont (18-7) at No. 4 Palo Alto (17-7), 7 p.m. 

No. 9 Cupertino (25-1) at No. 1 Menlo-Atherton (18-6), 7 p.m. 

Division II

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 11 Leland (19-7) at No. 3 Woodside (18-6), 7 p.m. 

Sobrato (13-12) or No. 7 Oak Grove (9-14) at No. 2 Christopher (13-11), 7 p.m. 

Willow Glen at No. 4 Wilcox (10-14), 7 p.m. 

No. 8 Westmont (15-10) at No. 1 Valley Christian (10-14), 7 p.m. 

Division III

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 11 Westmoor (15-10) at No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral (11-13), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Burlingame (11-14) at No. 2 Aptos (18-8), 7 p.m. 

No. 5 Pioneer (18-7) at No. 4 Monterey (19-5), 7 p.m.

No. 8 Saratoga (12-13) at No. 1 Santa Cruz (21-5), 7 p.m. 

Division IV

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 6 Palma (12-13) at No. 3 The King’s Academy (16-7), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Soquel (13-13) at No. 2 Menlo (14-10), 7 p.m. 

No. 5 Terra Nova (16-9) at No. 4 Marina (20-4), 7 p.m. 

No. 8 Pacific Grove (15-10) at No. 1 Carmel (21-3), 7 p.m. 

Division V

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 6 Kehillah (14-3) at No. 3 More (18-6), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Nueva (16-7) at No. 2 Oakwood (10-14), 7 p.m.

No. 5 Pinewood (13-12) at No. 4 Eastside (16-7), 7 p.m.

No. 8 Cristo Rey (13-10) at No. 1 Shasta (21-3), 7 p.m.

Girls basketball

Open Division

Pool A

Friday’s games

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 77, No. 8 St. Francis 36

No. 4 Pinewood 57, No. 5 Archbishop Riordan 41

Monday’s games

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 86, No. 5 Archbishop Riordan 28

No. 4 Pinewood 76, No. 8 St. Francis 35

Wednesday’s games

No. 4 Pinewood (21-5, 2-0) at No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (26-0, 2-0), 5 p.m.

No. 8 St. Francis (15-10, 0-2) at No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (15-10, 0-2), 5:30 p.m.

Pool B

Friday’s games

No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral 72, No. 7 Los Gatos 61

No. 6 St. Ignatius 41, No. 3 Priory 36

Monday’s games

No. 6 St. Ignatius 61, No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral 46

No. 7 Los Gatos 44 No. 3 Priory 40

Wednesday’s games

No. 3 Priory (15-11, 0-2) at No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral (21-4, 1-1), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Los Gatos (23-3, 1-1) at No. 6 St. Ignatius (16-9, 2-0), 7 p.m.

Friday’s final

Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner at Santa Clara University, 6 p.m.

Division I

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 6 Fremont (13-12) at No. 3 Alisal (22-2), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Menlo-Atherton (15-10) at No.  2 Branham (19-2), 7 p.m.

No. 5 Carlmont (15-10) at No. 4 Hollister (19-5), 7 p.m.

No. 8 Los Altos (12-12) at No. 1 Evergreen Valley (19-5), 7 p.m.

Division II

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 11 San Mateo (23-3) at No. 3 Christopher (18-6), 5:30 p.m.

No. 7 Sobrato (9-13) at No. 2  Pioneer (15-6), 7 p.m.

No. 5 Lynbrook (17-8) at No. 4 Valley Christian (12-12), 5:30 p.m. 

No. 8 Leland (10-13) at No. 1 Monta Vista (19-5), 7 p.m. 

Division III

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 11 Del Mar (17-9) at No. 3 Aptos (18-8), 5:30 p.m.

No. 10 Burlingame (16-10) at No. 2 Mills (17-7), 7 p.m.

No. 5 Notre Dame-SJ (11-12) at No. 4 Prospect (20-4), 7 p.m. 

No. 8 Presentation (9-15) at No. 1 Santa Cruz (20-6), 5:30 p.m. 

Division IV

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 6 The Kings Academy (14-10) at No. 3 Harker (17-5), 7 p.m. 

No. 7 Scotts Valley (11-13) at No. 2  Half Moon Bay (14-9), 7 p.m. 

No. 5 Notre Dame Belmont (11-12) at No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep (15-8), 7 p.m.

No. 8 Monte Vista Christian (15-10) at No. 1 Menlo (15-9), 5:30 p.m.

Division V

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

No. 6 Notre Dame-Salinas (15-10) at No. 3  St. Francis SCP (21-2), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Eastside College Prep (12-13) at No. 2 Shasta (19-5), 5:30 p.m.

No. 5 Cristo Rey (13-8) at No. 4 Castilleja (12-7), 6 p.m. 

No. 8 Pacific Collegiate (11-11) at No. 1 Crystal Springs Uplands (8-12), 7 p.m. 

MONDAY BOYS

Monroe 17 16 7 15 – 55

Grosse Ile 2 10 15 6 – 33

MONROE: Collett 2 0-0 4, McQuaide 3 (1) 0-2 7, Johnson 5 1-4 11, Harvell 1 0-0 2, Rzepa 6 (4) 2-4 18, Nabozny 3 0-4 6, Simmons 2 1-2 5, Loveland 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 (5) 2-16 55.

GROSSE ILE: D. Cappellino 1 (1) 2-3 5, T. Capellino 0 2-2 2, Pizzo 4 1-3 9, Crowley 1 (1) 1-2 4, Miller 0 0-2 0, Moco 3 (3) 0-0 9, Carter 2 0-0 4. Totals 11 (5) 6-12.

More: Bedord girls move closer to title; Monroe boys extend their win streak

*                     *                     *

Ida 5 10 14 10 – 39

Hudson 11 3 12 2 – 28

IDA: Kukiela 0 2-4 2, Snyder 1 1-1 3, Hemry 1 4-4 6, Albring 0 2-2 2, Schrader 5 (1) 3-3 14, Schoenberg 1 (1) 0-0 3, Towne 3 1-4 7, Lutz 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 (2) 13-18 39.

HUDSON: Wallace 3 0-0 6, Engle-Wendt 1 (1) 0-0 3, St. John 3 (2) 0-0 8, L. Arnett 1 0-0 2, Jones 4 1-2 9. Totals 12 (3) 1-2 28.

*                     *                     *

AA Pioneer 21 15 21 22– 79

Bedford 10 9 15 11 – 45

BEDFORD: Williams 2 (2) 1-2 7, Snyder 1 (1) 0-0 3, Ryan 1 (1) 0-0 3, Colon 3 3-4 9, Hammer 1 0-0 2, Hite 3 3-4 9, Hakki 3 (1) 1-2 8, Coberly 1 0-0 2, Hafner 0 2-2 2. Totals 15 (5) 10-14 45.

MONDAY GIRLS

Bedford 13 10 10 15 – 48

AA Pioneer 5 6 7 19 – 37

BEDFORD: A. Gray 0 1-2 1, Pudlowski 3 (1) 2-4 9, Hensley 3 (2) 1-2 9, Manard 3 (2) 0-0 8, V. Gray 5 5-6 15, Mullins 2 (1) 1-2 6. Totals 16 (6) 10-16 48.

ANN ARBOR PIONEER: Powell 2 (2) 3-3 9, J. Davis 5 3-3 13, Hernimont 1 (1) 0-0 3, Jones 1 (1) 0-0 3, Isom 2 0-0 4, E. Davis 2 0-0 4, Sheffield 0 1-4 1. Totals 13 (4) 7-10 37.

*                     *                     *

Erie Mason 16 8 16 10 – 50

Sand Creek 6 6 6 5 – 23

ERIE MASON – Trainor 3 (1) 6-10 13, Stubleski 2 5-8 9, Lambert 0 1-2 1, Meiring 4 3-4 11, Stachowski 1 0-0 2, Langenderfer 1 (1) 0-0 3, Gallaher 4 3-3 11. Totals 15 (2) 18-27 – 50.  

SAND CREEK: Steinke 1 1-3 3, Covey 1 0-4 2, Allen 2 (2) 0-2 6, Emmendorfer 5 0-0 10, Robinson 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 (2) 1-9 23.

SHABBONA – With one second left on the clock Monday and the score tied 45-45, Indian Creek’s Everett Willis was at the free-throw line with two shots. The junior missed both but snared the rebound after the second attempt and made the putback at the buzzer to pull out a 47-45 win over Dwight in Mondays’s Class 1A Somonauk Regional quarterfinal game at Indian Creek.

Indian Creek (20-11), seventh seed in Sub Sectional B of the Elgin Harvest Christian Sectional, advances to Wednesday’s semifinal against fourth-seeded Marquette (22-8), a winner Monday over leland. The Timberwolves last won a regional in 2020.

Dwight ended its season with a 7-24 record.

The game-ending score was not exactly how Indian Creek coach Nolan Govig planned it.

“(Dwight) called a timeout (between free throws), and I told the team in the huddle after Everett makes his shot, we were not going to press defense, just hands-up, because we did not want to foul their shooter,” said Govig. “And that’s not exactly what I meant when I said Everett will make the shot.”

“I had to make the free throws, and I didn’t,” said Willis. “I was grateful I had the opportunity and went after the shot and put it in.”

Willis led the Timberwolves scoring with 13 points. The junior also pulled down 14 rebounds.

The buzzer-beater capped a fourth-quarter Indian Creek comeback. Dwight was ahead 35-31 at the start of the final frame. The Timberwolves trailed until a Landon Schrader (10 points) layup with one minute left play tied the game at 43 all. Senior Jakob McNally’s bucket with 36 ticks on the clock gave Indian Creek its first lead of the night, 45-43.

Dwight’s Evan Cox retied the contest with 21.4 seconds to go by connecting on two charity tosses, setting up the dramatic finish.

A slow start put Indian Creek behind 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Timberwolves sank their first basket at the 2:54 mark of the frame on Tyler Bogle’s 3-pointer. Bogle finished the night with 10 points.

The teams played even in the second quarter, with Dwight up 28-21 at intermission.

Indian Creek’s comeback started in the third quarter when the Timberwolves held Dwight to two baskets and seven points. Junior Luke Gallet, who led all scorers with 18 points, made both buckets.

“We were flat. We came out without intensity on both the offense and the defense. This is playoff basketball, so you’ve got threw the records out the door. Everybody is hungry, and everybody starts out fresh,” Govig said. “We just didn’t bring it at the start, but we picked it up after halftime.”

“We played well, we played hard, but we didn’t do the little things,” Dwight coach Jeremy Connor said. ” We gave up too many offensive boards, and that let them stay in the game, and ultimately we lost the game.

“This has been our MO all year. We are a young team, and we let teams back in the game.”

Joey Starks scored 10 points for Dwight.

AUSTIN, TX. (WIBW) – Kansas State men’s basketball dropped its sixth straight conference road game on Monday night, falling to Texas 62-56 in Austin.

The Longhorns put up a small but comfortable lead early, and managed to hold onto it throughout the game.

Arthur Kaluma led the Wildcats with 15 points and 7 rebounds. David N’Guessan followed with 12 points and 7 boards off the bench. Tylor Perry added 11 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

The Wildcats are now 15-11 on the year, 5-8 in conference play. They have only five games remaining in regular season play, three of which will more than likely be ranked matchups.

They’ll next be back at home on Saturday to host No. 25 BYU at Bramlage Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

Copyright 2024 WIBW. All rights reserved.

South Dakota high school basketball scores for Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.

Aberdeen Christian 62, Little Wound 45

Baltic 87, Tri-Valley 72

Beresford 54, Wagner 50

Canistota 58, Hanson 53

Canton 74, Vermillion 70

Centerville 53, Mitchell Christian 41

Colman-Egan 89, Sioux Falls Lutheran 75

Corsica-Stickney 43, Parkston 36

Custer 68, Hill City 46

Dell Rapids 69, Garretson 33

Dell Rapids St. Mary 74, Pipestone Area (Minn.) 68

Deubrook Area 52, Flandreau 38

Elk Point-Jefferson 71, West Central 56

Great Plains Lutheran 51, North Central 29

Groton Area 71, Dakota Valley 54

Hot Springs 78, Oelrichs 26

Lemmon 64, Belle Fourche 47

McCook Central/Montrose 55, Mount Vernon/Plankinton 52

Milbank 65, Madison 58

Platte-Geddes 57, Todd County 37

Rapid City Christian 91, Lead-Deadwood 31

Sioux Falls Christian 81, Marshall (Minn.) 44

St. Thomas More 47, Rapid City Central 23

Stanley County 63, Lyman 49

Viborg-Hurley 76, Gayville-Volin 54

Winner 69, Crow Creek 51

Class A, Class B region tournaments (first round)

Region 2A: Clark/Willow Lake 35, Deuel 24

Region 5A: Platte-Geddes 48, Kimball/White Lake 45

Region 1B: Aberdeen Christian 43, Waverly-South Shore 25

Region 2B: Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 75, Flandreau Indian 41

Region 4B: Freeman Academy/Marion 31, Scotland 23

Region 5B: Gregory 52, Colome 21

Region 6B: Ipswich 44, Sunshine Bible Academy 32

Region 7B: New Underwood 54, Crazy Horse 8

Region 8B: Bison 32, McIntosh 27

Region 8B: Tiospaye Topa 88, Takini 13

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “Mitchell Republic.” Often, the “Mitchell Republic” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

A capacity field has been assembled for the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) this Saturday at Caulfield, where the market suggests it’s an open race.

Down below is a speed map, runner preview and $100 betting strategy for the 2024 Blue Diamond Stakes.

Market : View the Odds for the Blue Diamond Stakes

2024 Blue Diamond Stakes Speed Map

Lady Of Camelot looks the main speed influence for the GaiBott camp. Coleman won’t be far away, likewise Stay Focused and drawn wide, the only chance for Spywire is to press forward but may get caught wide.

2024 Blue Diamond Stakes Runner Preview:

1. Rue De Royale: 1200m is no issue with him. The issue is the wide gate. His three career runs have been strong and gives every indication he will eat up 1200m. But I don’t think he can sit last and win from there.

2. Spywire: I am stunned $31 is available for him. He should be much longer in betting IMO. He won’t run 1200m and drawn the carpark, he’s got none and IMO, he should be closer to the rank outsider.

3. Bodyguard: Bodyguard…you don’t know how good a horse is til they are beaten. As it stands, this guy is unbeaten in two career outings, winning on debut in the Maribyrnong Trial during the Spring before resuming with a dominant and somewhat arrogant win in the Prelude. Upside, strong late, right camp…hard to beat.

4. Coleman: Easy to see why he is likeable. 2/2 to start his career and each time he has been impressive, producing a dominant display first up in the Chairmans to set him up as favourite here. Maps ideally, 1200m looks like he will be fine…hard to beat.

5. Stay Focused: Gave Bodyguard the ideal drag up in the Prelude and that horse just got the better of him. This guy has improvement to come…the gate though is the sticky point, and I think he would be better if the track had a bit of cushion rather than a firm deck.

6. Dublin Down: This will be some training effort to win the Blue Diamond first up. His last run was the Maribyrnong Plate win during Cup Week where he knuckled down nicely to win. Jumpout work has been encouraging…can he win? I am saying no.

7. Traffic Warden: Traffic Warden is the sleeper at odds I feel. He resumed three weeks back in the Canonbury at Rosehill where he got a fair way out of his ground and took a while to wind into his work but he was pretty good in the run to the line behind Prost. He gives every impression he’ll eat up 1200m, he has upside/timing and Craig Williams is riding very well.

8. High Octane: High Octane just screams of a typical Team Snowden GF set up. He won the Preview to get into the race. He then went to the Prelude and had a barrier trial it seemed like, tucked in behind the speed and didn’t get clear air at any stage until it was too late but loved the way he closed off. He’ll love a rise to 1200m and with room to move, he’ll take holding out.

9. Zestiman: Another forgotten horse IMO. He ran in the Inglis Millennium at Randwick and while he was never a winning threat, I really liked the way he found the line behind Fully Lit. If he drew a touch more soft and did no work, I would rate him as a serious knockout chance. But I think he’s more of a first four contender.

10. Fearless: Resumed in the Canonbury where he got a fair way out of his ground and took a while into his work but was good late when second to Prost. Right camp, upside, timing…a win wouldn’t shock at all.

11. Hayasugi: 2/2 this prep, winning both the Preview and Preludes, where each time she has been strongest late on the line, just, to win. I don’t see her running the 1200m out strongly enough.

12. Eneeza: Talented filly but I doubt she can turn the tables on Coleman based on the Chairmans where he beat her comfortably. I think 1200m will be ideal for her but I just don’t see her beating Coleman.

13. Lady Of Camelot: The likely leader and the stable is absolutely humming with their juveniles. Sustained speed came to the fore to win the Widden and this would be a great story with Hippo getting a big race win after being sacked from Storm Boy.

14. Kuroyanagi: Nice filly but I think the Prelude run indicates 1200m at this level is a bridge too far. Happy to let her go through to the keeper.

15. Matisse: Is gate one a blessing or a curse? Potentially can be a blessing to settle much closer in the run. But, it could be a curse given she has got back in both runs and could be buried back on the fence. I think she has done enough in her career outings to say she can win this.

16. Flyer: Nice fily but not up to these.

17. In Her Eyes (First Emergency): Keep her on ice and in the blackbook for the Sires at Flemington. I think she will eat up 1400m and the bigger track.

18. Altermatum (Second Emergency): Similar boat to In Her Eyes.

2024 Blue Diamond Stakes $100 Betting Strategy:

$25 Win on Coleman, Bodyguard and High Octane (Tote/SP)
$5 Win/$20 Place Traffic Warden (Tote/SP)

Group 1 Strategy Outlay: $3300
Group 1 Strategy Return: $3625

2024 Blue Diamond Stakes Stakes Odds:

 

*Existing customers only. 2nd Racing bet. Excl SA & WA. T’s & C’s apply. Gamble responsibly.

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