Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr now hold the first and second favourites for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) after Big Sky made a striking debut win at Flemington.
The Bivouac colt was dominant in the TAB We’re On (1000m), ridden by Jordan Childs after Mark Zahra was sidelined with a fractured tibia.
Easing slightly in betting to start a $2.90 equal favourite, Big Sky drew wide but pushed forward, settling well before sprinting clear.
He scored by 2-3/4 lengths over Mirador ($2.90 equal fav), with Boridi ($5) another three-quarters of a length away in third.
Big Sky firmed sharply from $15 into $6 for the Blue Diamond, now second favourite behind stablemate Guest House.
“It worked out pretty well, really,” Kent Jnr said.
“He did a lot wrong in the first part of the race but I thought Jordy (Childs) rode him perfectly.
“The plan was ride the horse first and race second, just keep it smooth.
“He got across relatively easily, the horse has got natural speed, and I suppose the impressive part was the way he travelled deep into the race and then the acceleration was instant when he went for it and he really ran right past the line.”
The pair could meet next in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 7.
“We haven’t matched them up,” Kent Jnr said.
“He’s won very impressively but it’s only going to get harder from here.”