Cover image courtesy of Coolmore
Oh Diamond Lil soars to Tibbie victory
Less than a week after chalking up a 64th stakes winner with his son Revelare, So You Think (NZ) produced another 5-year-old on the up with his daughter Oh Diamond Lil, who broke through in the G3 Tibbie Stakes at Newcastle. The David Pfieffer-trained mare was having her first stab in stakes company, and emerged victorious to post her seventh win in 14 starts.
Controlling the race from the kick, Oh Diamond Lil worked home strongly to put a one length margin on the rest of the field at the line, with Verona Rose (Castelvecchio), who mounted an ultimately failed challenge in the home straight, and Tuileries (So You Think {NZ}) running into the placings. It was the mare's third win in a row, taking her earnings to over $600,000.
“She's done her traditional thing, she rolled forward and she got into a good rhythm, and that was the key thing,” said Pfieffer after the race. “It's just getting into that rhythm. Obviously, she got a pretty soft couple of furlongs and that probably helped her, but she was tough in the straight and she's proven that in the past. Hopefully, it'll be a good campaign.
“She (Oh Diamond Lil) rolled forward and she got into a good rhythm, and that was the key thing.” - David Pfieffer
“She's never going to sprint off the mark, but she just builds with her speed and then probably finds another solid gear and just keeps going.
“To win a Group 3 sets her up nicely for a future stud career and her upcoming campaign. We have a few options; there's obviously the Angst Stakes and we’re going to look at something like the Five Diamonds Prelude.”
Oh Diamond Lil | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pfieffer and Koolman Bloodstock outlaid $200,000 for Oh Diamond Lil from Maluka Thoroughbreds’ draft at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. She is the first stakes winner amongst four winners from five to race out of Listed-winning Redoute’s Choice mare Rare Diamond. The mare’s last foal, a full brother to Oh Diamond Lil, is an unnamed 2-year-old who was not offered at auction this year.
Four on the trot for Soul Of Spain in Gold Cup
Five-year-old import Soul Of Spain (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) struck at stakes level for the first time on Friday, taking home the G3 Newcastle Gold Cup to make it four wins in a row. Trained by Chris Waller, the gelding comfortably accounted for his rivals, riding the rail to a wire to wire win by just short of three quarters of a length. Royal Supremacy (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Travolta (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) filled the placings.
The gelding banks over $300,000 in prizemoney with his fifth career win, and delivers Waller his seventh victory in the race.
“Every time Chris raises the bar, he just seems to jump through it,” stable representative Zane Jones said. “He's got plenty of upside, he's lightly raced, he's continuing to build a good record.
“It was a run full of merit the other day, and we were under no illusions that it was a harder assignment today, but he's passed with flying colours.”
“We were under no illusions that it was a harder assignment today, but he's (Soul Of Spain) passed with flying colours.” - Zane Jones
Chris Waller | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
A €50,000 ($89,000) Goffs Orby Yearling Sale graduate from the Irish National Stud, Soul Of Spain was purchased by Blandford Bloodstock and Go Racing NZ for €160,000 ($285,000) at the Arqana Deauville 2YO Breeze-Up Sale the following year. He is one of two stakes performers from a Pivotal (GB) half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Yellow Rosebud (Ire) (Jeremy {USA}).
Headley Grange books Big Dance ticket in Cameron Handicap
Joseph Pride’s Headley Grange (Exosphere) picked up win number 10 on Friday at Newcastle when taking out the G3 Cameron Handicap, which also comes with the bonus of eligibility for the $3 million Big Dance in November. The 5-year-old notched up his fourth win in his last five starts and received an economical mid-pack ride from Adam Hyeronimus for most of the run.
Once the field spread out upon straightening, the gelding launched to the front to score by a length over Vivy Air (Hellbent), with Fully Lit (Hellbent) picking up more black-type when finishing third.
In an electric performance, Headley Grange smashed the 1500-metre track record for Newcastle, with a final time of 1:28.32s. It was a second stakes victory for the gelding, who also scored in the Listed Civic Stakes earlier this year.
“I thought if this horse had a weakness, it was going to be the firm track, but he has put that to bed with a track record,’’ Pride said after the race.
“He (Headley Grange) has an amazing winning record, this horse.’’ - Joseph Pride
“He has an amazing winning record, this horse. He has a nomination for the Epsom (Handicap) and we might go there through to the Big Dance.’’
Joseph Pride | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Headley Grange entered Pride’s stable at the end of 2023 when he was purchased as a winner from three starts via an Inglis Digital auction, where HDB Bloodstock paid $120,000 for the gelding. He is one of three winners from three to race from Hard Spun (USA) mare Hard Go Jo, who has a 2-year-old filly by Churchill (Ire) to run for her.
Switzerland’s little brother breaks maiden at second start
Decorum (Snitzel), the 3-year-old full brother to new Coolmore Stud sire Switzerland, took out the third race on the Newcastle card on Friday at just his second race start. Trained by Michael Freedman, the colt rounded the turn wide before reeling in the field to claim a three-quarter of a length victory over California Command (Deep Field), with bluebloods Columbus (Dundeel {NZ}) and Tropic (Zoustar) next across the line.
Video: Watch race replay of Decorum, video courtesy of Racing NSW
Decorum was second on debut at Warwick Farm earlier in the month, beating out Enviable (Frankel {GB}), who lines up for the G2 Tea Rose Stakes on Saturday. The win came as part of a Newcastle double for Freedman, who also trained well-bred 3-year-old filly Magenta Skies (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to win the second race on the card.
Arrowfield Stud offered Decorum at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where he sold to TFI for $550,000. The stud has retained a percentage of the colt’s ownership, as has co-breeder Cloros Bloodstock. He is the cheapest of Switzerland’s two full brothers through the ring, with the currently unnamed 2-year-old selling at this year’s Easter sale for $2.7 million to Tom Magnier.
Decorum as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (Blame {USA}) has another full brother to Decorum bound for the sales next year, and is due to deliver another full sibling in early October.
