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Two of this year’s Blue Diamond field are closely-related to 1990 Prelude winners.
Mahaasin has not gone down as one of the great winners of the Blue Diamond, but the Colin Hayes-trained filly had to defeat a couple of greats to etch her name onto the honour roll in 1990.
The star Victorian of the time and subsequent Golden Slipper winner Canny Lad finished second, while superstar Sydney filly Triscay was third.
Also in that race was Zedagal, a sister to 1998 Blue Diamond winner Zeditave, who, like Canny Lad, was a winner of one of the Blue Diamond Preludes in 1990.
Two runners in this year's Blue Diamond hail from those families.
Coleman's third dam is triple Group 1-winning mare Canny Lass, a daughter of Bletchingly and Jesmond Lass, which makes her a sister to Canny Lad.
Matisse's fourth dam is Zedagal, a daughter of The Judge and Summoned who not only produced Zeditave but another Blue Diamond Prelude winner in Square Deal, Group 3 winner Pampa's Fire and Alannon, who won a Rubiton Stakes and finished second to Mahogany in a Lightning Stakes.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Matisse, who is by Microphone, is out of the Not A Single Doubt mare Sanadaat, whose dam It's Fun is from Unison, the first of 12 named-foals out of Zedagal.
Unison, a daughter of Marauding, demonstrated precocity herself, winning a Widden Stakes and Birthday Card Quality at three before finishing third in the Group 1 The Galaxy.
The Matt Laurie-trained Coleman, a $550,000 Magic Millions Pierata colt, is out of the Redoute's Choice mare Sboog, who is out of Schiapperelli, a Woodman mare who was one of 11 named-foals from Canny Lass.
She won a William Reid Stakes, Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and Toorak Handicap at the highest level, while Canny Lad won a VRC Sires' Produce Stakes when it carried Group 1 status at his final start before winning the Golden Slipper.
He also finished third in the Cox Plate, beaten home by a couple of Hall Of Famers in Better Loosen Up and Sydeston.
Canny Lad went on to successful career as a stallion, producing five Group 1 winners, but his lasting legacy will be as a broodmare sire.
He is not only the sire of Shantha's Choice, dam of Redoute's Choice, winner of the 1999 Blue Diamond and one of Australia's all-time great stallions, but also Cannarelle who is the dam of Australia's current champion sire I Am Invincible.
