The debut success of Stay Focused in the inaugural running of the $150,000 Geelong Diamond in Victoria was a timely success for the Sledmere Stud team on the eve of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Raced in the colours of Bennett Racing by a syndicate of owners and trained on their behalf by Phillip Stokes, the first-crop son of Cosmic Force proved to be an impressive winner of the 1100-metre juvenile assignment, storming home over the closing stages to score as a well backed $3.10 favourite.
Twelve months beforehand, Stay Focused was a member of the farm’s 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale consignment, ultimately fetching a successful bid of $250,000 and proving to be the highest-priced member of the breed sold at public auction last year.
Speaking after the win, Bennett Racing principal Nathan Bennett stated: “From the day we bought him we loved him — he was the highest-priced Cosmic Force colt for the season — and we’ve gone hard on him. We’ve actually put a few mares to Cosmic Force because we love this horse so much and the way he did that was exciting.”
Stay Focused was ridden to victory by Daniel Stackhouse who claimed after the performance, “Our plan was actually to lead and use our barrier, but he didn’t step all the greatest … that probably worked in our favour when the pressure went on and he probably learnt a little bit in behind them.”
Stackhouse added: “He raced really well. I had a lot of horse underneath me. We improved into the corner, I gave him a little shake up and he actually kicked off the corner really nicely, [and] went through his gears good … [it] was very soft on the line.”
Such was the quality of Stay Focused’s debut victory, the $2 million Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes was immediately discussed as a likely target.
Last year’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes witnessed Sledmere Stud born, raised and sold Little Brose prove successful. Notably, the son of Per Incanto is also a Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate.