Persistence paying on McArdle’s homefront ahead of 2026 Geelong Diamond

While many trainers will soon be immersed in yearling inspections, John McArdle is focused on a promising homebred as Divine Dot continues her rise in Saturday’s Geelong Diamond.

The Mornington-based horseman sends the two-year-old filly to the $150,000 Geelong Diamond (1100m) after an authoritative debut win that turned heads late last month.

Divine Dot broke her maiden in style on December 23, powering away to a three-length victory over 1200 metres and immediately stamping herself as the most advanced of Miracle To Me’s progeny.

“She pulled up well,” McArdle said of her debut performance.

“They didn’t run a huge time and, obviously, at this stage we don’t know what the quality was like, but she did a lot wrong and still won very easily.

“She ate up that night and with a few days on the water walker she’ll be there at Geelong after I confirm it with the owner – my wife.”

The drop back to 1100 metres is not seen as a concern, with McArdle confident the filly showed enough stamina and speed on debut.

“She’s a homebred and the best type that the mare has had so far,” McArdle said.

“But she does a fair bit wrong and we’ve had a couple out of the mare who didn’t run 1200m, which we were a bit concerned about, but she seemed strong enough the other day.

“She’s still new but has very good tactical speed. They went slowly at Mornington and then she kicked.

“As Jett (Stanley)said, she put them to the sword and won by as far as she wanted.

“It will be interesting to see with a bit more pressure in the race what she does.”

Jamie Mott takes the mount at 55.5kg from the outside barrier, with Divine Dot facing other unbeaten runners including Torture, Golden Pulse and Moana Spirit.

With betting markets beginning to take shape, punters can track Divine Dot’s Geelong Diamond odds through leading Australian wagering providers.