Half-brother to The Diamond One at Karaka 2014

Promising South Island mare The Diamond One (Tale of the Cat) prevailed in her first stakes victory yesterday with a spirited finish in the Listed $50,000 BP2GO Alco Motors Stakes (1200m) at Wingatui.

The Diamond One (Tale of the Cat) winner of the Listed BP2GO Alco Motors Stakes at Wingatui.

The win boosted the pedigree of The Diamond One’s half-brother by Thorn Park in upcoming 2014 Karaka Premier Sale with the colt catalogued at Lot 305 for Phoenix Park.

The lightly tried four-year-old entered the race in a purple patch of form having won twice this preparation and was narrowly beaten in the Listed Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes at her last start.

Trained by Steve Anderton and carrying the famous colours of the Dennis brothers, who also raced the mare’s Group 1 winning dam The Jewel (NZ) (O’Reilly), The Diamond One settled mid-field over the 1200m sprint. Approaching the home straight, the daughter of Tale of the Cat got shuffled back to the rear of the field and was last when the field straightened for the run home.

Rider Terry Moseley had trouble finding a clear passage through the field and was held up for much of the straight. Moseley did not panic however and was able to get The Diamond One to the outside of the field and unleashed a devastating sprint that saw the pair run to the lead and win by three-quarters-of-a-length.

“I was confident heading into the race, the only query was the heavy track,” stated Anderton. “I thought that she would handle it, the half-sister The Glitzy One handles it, and she has won on a slow track. She has a lovely low action so I felt that she would handle it.

“It was a pretty good effort really because it wasn’t the best of rides. In fairness, the field did come around and he ended up three back but he just kept drifting. Any other horse probably would not have won but she is above average this mare.

“Right from go she has shown ability. She ran fourth in the 1000 Guineas last season and pulled up a bit shin sore and we gave her one more run after that and she ran a nice third but was really shin sore after that so we put her aside. One thing with the Dennis boys’ horses is if they show that ability as a three-year-old they will go on and be good as four and five-year-olds.

“It is a good family, we trained the mare (The Jewel) and she was a good mare herself and she is leaving them good which is great to see.

“Yesterday’s race wasn’t actually on the agenda, the Group 3 White Robe Lodge Stakes is what we are aiming for but by the time February comes the sales will be over so we felt if we can get a Listed race, and she was bouncing around her paddock, it will help the yearling a bit.”

Yesterday’s first stakes win was the fourth career win for The Diamond One who has only had 10 raceday appearances and has now earned $75,925 in prizemoney for her owners A G, K J, M C & P R Dennis.

The well-bred mare is out of Group 1 New Zealand Oaks and Group 1 Waikato International Stakes winner The Jewel, a daughter of stakes winner The Grin (Grosvenor) and a half-sister to stakes winners Star Affair (Star Way), Solid Billing (Rock of Gibraltar) and Thy (O’Reilly). The Diamond One is a half-sister to the seven-time winner and multiple stakes placegetter The Glitzy One (Flying Spur).