PASSED-IN IN THE SALES RING. FLYING ON THE TRACK

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Trainer Damien Batters has the Blue Diamond Prelude in his sights as he prepares to send his emerging two-year-old filly Party For Two to Melbourne for the big Caulfield contest on February 11.

Batters, who doubles as stable foreman for the David Vandyke stable, has brought the daughter of Sidestep along in leaps and bounds since she walked into his stable ... she is a winner of two out of her three starts ... a fact he prefers to credit to Party For Two’s desire to learn and to do better as much as anything else.

“She was just a sweet little filly when she came into the yard,” said Batters.

“She wasn’t overly big, but she was quite gorgeous to look at. She is plain ... by that I mean as in no flashy white markings ... but she is very pretty.

“I know it is easy to say after she has done what she has done, but we liked her. We really liked her.

“Then we started working her along and working her up ... and I thought, gee, she just loves working. Every time you would ask her to do something she would strive to be better at it next time ... and that just led her to a natural progression. She just started getting better and better and better.

“Her second race start (which she won by 7.50 lengths) obviously showed a big, significant improvement compared to her debut run (in which she finished third to Mishani Royale, who went on to frank that form by winning again next time out in the Gold Pearl which was part of the Magic Millions carnival)... but that’s the kind of measure she puts in when she has learnt something.

“Even in that defeat, there was a lot to like about her action and the way she went about her business.

“Our time was very slick when we won ... and not many win by 7.50 lengths ... and then, when Mishani Royale won again at the Gold Coast, I thought ... this is good.

“Then we asked more questions of her at Doomben ... and, yeah, she stepped up and made the opposition there look pretty average too.”

Party For Two’s runs to date have been over 1000m and 1100m. Allowing that we are still talking early two-year-olds, does Batters have any thoughts on Party For two’s potential distance prowess?

“We are going to the Blue Diamond Prelude, which is over 1100m ... and then the Blue Diamond is 1200m. I think she’ll gobble up 1200m every day of the week,” answered Batters.

“After that, in terms of distance, I’m not certain, but the way she races ... she settles out in front, she doesn’t mind if horses take her on ... she just does her own thing and she can sprint off a very high cruising speed ...so she has a lot going for her.”

“She flies down Wednesday week ... and she will go to Cranbourne.

“Nikita Beriman, who was in the saddle for both Party For two’s win, will go down and ride her in the Prelude ... and, if everything goes to plan, she’ll ride her in the Blue Diamond.


And the back story of Party For Two ... and just how she came to be in Batters’ stable ... is also an interesting one.

“So, how it happened was that ... in the first instance ... Telemon Stud had a horse they were selling on Bloodstock Auction by All Too Hard. I contacted Dan (Fletcher) and asked him about it,” explained Batters.

“He wasn’t sure it was going to get its reserve. We said we would have a chat after that and then we carried on talking about another two-year-old he had in the paddock, which happened to be her (Party For Two).

“Party For Two had gone to the Magic Millions sale and was passed in ... and then Telemon took her to the Rocky Sales and she was passed in again there.

“They placed a value on her they wanted to get. They didn’t quite get that, so they decided to keep her.

“That All Too Hard horse ended up getting his reserve. Dan and I chatted again, and he was more than happy to send Party For Two out to me.

“He said he’ll send me this one and we’ll go from there ... and we have!”

Party For Two has already banked $114 325 in prize-money from only three starts and now has a date with the big-time in the Blue Diamond Prelude ... in spite of the fact that she was twice not wanted enough in the sales ring by potential buyers and then was sent to race for a small stable (Batters currently only has six horses in work) to kick off her racing career.

The story is important because it epitomises the fact that the racing ‘dream’ is still very much as alive for the common man or woman as it might be for those who make waves at the higher end of the market ... the difference being that one has more to lose than the other.

*Jockey Nikita Beriman was briefly knocked unconscious following a fall at the Sunshine Coast this morning. She is currently recovering in hospital.

“She is fine, just complaining about neck soreness” said Batters, “but she has had scans and there are no broken bones. She is staying in hospital for observation.”

Batters is confident Beriman will be ‘good to go’ for her ride on Party For Two in the Blue Diamond Prelude come race-day.

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