Sheer Madness waits on Diamond start

Connections of two-year-old Sheer Madness are playing a waiting game to see whether the gelding gains a start in the $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes.

The John Salanitri-trained Sheer Madness is the only emergency for Saturday’s Group One race at Caulfield.

Sheer Madness has been scratched from a 1300m race at Sandown on Wednesday, in the hope he gets a run in Saturday’s feature for which he is at $51.

The gelding has contested both the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) and Prelude (1100m) for colts and geldings, finishing fifth and ninth respectively.

His part-owner Frank Salanitri, assistant and racing manager to his brother John who trained the 2000 Blue Diamond winner Road To Success, believes Sheer Madness can run a big race from a good draw if he gets a run.

“If we didn’t get a run, we’re aiming towards the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes,” Frank Salanitri said.

“Obviously being first emergency is not the ideal thing to have happened but it still keeps the dreams alive. So we’ll sit on the fence and wait.

“They’re two-year-olds and anything can happen. If we get a scratching then we’ll be pretty happy going into it.”

Salanitri said Sheer Madness was in super order.

“And he’s yet to be sort of tested,” he said.

“He didn’t have any luck his last start and he ran super his first start in the Blue Diamond Preview over 1000 metres which didn’t suit him.

“So getting to the 1200 metres, I think he’ll be well suited.”

Should there be no Blue Diamond scratchings, Salanitri said they would look to a juvenile race at Pakenham on Thursday week with a view to progressing to the VRC Sires’ Produce at Flemington nine days later, believing he would be suited at 1400m.

“I’ll be rapt if he got a run in the Blue Diamond because I think he’ll give a good sight,” Salanitri said.

“It’s a very competitive race but his two runs have suggested that he’s certainly up to them.”