Slipper and Diamond winners set for rare early-season clash in Moir Stakes.
Hayasugi and Lady Of Camelot laid the foundations for what could become an enthralling rivalry in this year's Blue Diamond Stakes.
Sydney filly Lady Of Camelot was outrageously game on-speed, only nabbed in the shadows of the post by Victoria's Hayasugi.
The rematch was scheduled for the Golden Slipper, which was a non-event for Hayasugi after she bungled the start, but Lady Of Camelot bounced back to win.
They will meet again this Saturday at Moonee Valley in the $750,000 Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m).
It will be the first time since the 2007 Quezette Stakes, when Sleek Chassis finished second and Forensics sixth, that the Slipper and Diamond winners have resumed in the same race at three.
It is, in fact, surprisingly rare for the winners of those two races to clash beyond their two-year-old days.
She Will Reign and Catchy are among the five others in the past 20 years to have done so and while their battles didn't take place until their autumn three-year-old season, She Will Reign had her first start as a three-year-old in the Moir Stakes, which she won.
The daughter of Manhattan Rain remains the only Slipper winner since Pierro (2012) to resume with a win at three.
She is the only Slipper winner in that time to launch their three-year-old season in the Moir, but the weight-for-age event is set to become a more attractive spring launching pad since the move forward to early September, which took place this year.
Initially a 1000m race on Cox Plate Day, the Moir Stakes was run over 1200m from 2007 to 2011 before moving to AFL Grand Final eve in 2012, which coincided with its elevation to Group 1 status.
The first three editions at the highest level were run over 1200m but it has been a 1000m event since 2015.
Three-year-old winners have been a feature of the Moir Stakes no matter the distance or timeslot and you only have to go back two years for the most recent winner, filly Coolangatta.
Racing And Sports data goes back to 1979 and she is one of 14 three-year-olds to win it in that time, from 78 starters, at a strike-rate of 17.9%.
Four-year-olds have won one more edition, but have had 121 runners (12.4%), while five-year-olds are eight from 118 (6.8%) and six-year-olds four from 63 (6.3%).
Lady Of Camelot and Hayasugi are joined by Coleman, who pushed Lady Of Camelot to within a short-head in the Golden Slipper, as three-year-olds engaged on Saturday, while four-year-olds Estriella and Caballus, five-year-old Johnny Rocker and six-year-olds I Wish I Win, Mornington Glory and Chain Of Lightning are also running.
