RACING FORUM

Posted: **Wed Sep 11, 2013 0:22 am**

Royal Diamond set to switch to 2013 Caulfield Cup
Connections of Royal Diamond will decide whether the top stayer defends his Group I Irish St Leger crown or targets the Caulfield Cup before the end of the week.

The Irish St Leger will be run at the Curragh on Sunday but Australian quarantine restrictions mean Royal Diamond cannot run in that race as well as the Caulfield Cup.

To run in the Caulfield Cup, Royal Diamond would have to go into quarantine at the weekend in order to travel to Australia on the first shipment of international competitors, which is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on September 29.

Royal Diamond’s owner Andrew Tinkler said he would decide whether the Johnny Murtagh-trained galloper would run in the Caulfield Cup just before the deadline.

"No decision has been made yet, but we are thinking about it (running in the Caulfield Cup),” Tinkler told Irishracing.com

"We're just weighing everything up at the moment and we'll have to make a decision later in the week."

The eight-year-old has won eight of his 32 starts, including victories at two of his last three outings in Ireland.

Betstar has Royal Diamond as a $34 chance to win the Caulfield Cup.