Monday, 10 February 2025: Another Wil announced himself with a big win in the Orr, while the Blue Diamond picture became no clearer.

ANOTHER WIL winning the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield in Australia.

Another Wil

The Group 1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) certainly didn't disappoint, with Another Wil  delivering on the big stage, running down an ever game Mr Brightside  and putting up a very strong new peak rating.

He's run to 124 on the Racing & Sports ratings, an improvement of six pounds on his previous best peak of 118, which he'd run beating Jimmysstar in the Damien Oliver (1400m).

He and Mr Brightside cleared out from the rest and there was nothing to suggest in the margins throughout that Mr Brightside hasn't gone very well first up, with R&S making his narrow second 123.

That's the 15th time he's run to a rating of 120 or better, the fifth best rating of his career and his best ever first-up performance. He's gone better than could've been expected but Another Wil had the perfect run tagging Mr Brightside and that was probably the difference in the end.

Much has been made of Another Wil's profile in the past, especially in Group 1 races, starting $3.50 in a Doncaster Mile, $2.20 in a Toorak Handicap and $2.60 in a Rupert Clarke, and especially at the weights in the Toorak and Rupert Clarke, the R&S expected rating was 123 and 122, so for him to run to this level isn't a big surprise.

The market loved him again, certainly suggesting he was wound up and ready to go, so it'll be interesting to see the pair clash again, which likely won't be until the All-Star Mile.

Mr Brightside goes to the Futurity Stakes next and should be an odds-on favourite for that with the run under the belt. He's come back as well, if not better than ever, and it sets up for an outstanding clash at Flemington.

Looking at an elite honour roll of past Orr winners, Another Wil is right up there with his 124 rating.

That list is topped by Black Caviar at 128, her only run at 1400m, while Black Heart Bart (126) and Redoute's Choice (125) also sit above Another Wil, who ties with the 2011 win of Typhoon Tracy at 124, her win in 2010 rating 122.

It sits above plenty of top horses including Maldivian (123), El Segundo (122), All Too Hard, Lonhro and Elvestroem (all 120), Hartnell and Mr Brightside last year at 118.

Big margins against some established horses, in conjunction with a strong time figure, supports the notion that Another Wil has put up a very strong rating and announced himself as a star of the weight-for-age ranks.

 

Blue Diamond Picture

The Blue Diamond Preludes did very little to clear the picture for the Group 1 in two weeks' time, with impressive Fillies' Preview winner My Gladiola  beaten by Palm Angel , who reversed a 5.8 length defeat from the Preview.

Both she and colts & geldings winner Field Of Play  have to a Racing & Sports rating of 108 despite the boys running nearly half a second faster overall time.

Comparing the two with Prelude winners across both divisions, going back to 2010, both are on the lower end of the scale.

Field Of Play at 108 is in line with Lofty Strike in 2022 but below the past two winners Bodyguard and Barber (both 110).

Palm Angel, also at 108, does match last year's winner Hayasugi who won the Blue Diamond, but is below other fillies to have won the Blue Diamond including Lyre (112), Catchy (111), Earthquake (116) and Samaready (115).

My Gladiola ran to 108 in the Preview on debut and dipped to 104 here, while the boy's favourite, Aleppo Pine , pulled up lame after looking to travelling well in the lead.

Whether he even gets to the Blue Diamond now has to be a query and this race potentially looks open for a big improver. All in all, it doesn't look like it will be a high rating Blue Diamond and while Field Of Play probably has to go in as a default favourite now, especially given he was first-up, it appears the winning standard will be on the lower side.