Queen of Diamonds (NZ) Stakes NZB Filly of the Year Claim

Making her first start in a New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series race, Queen of Diamonds (NZ) (Savabeel) lived up to her blue-blooded pedigree with a dominant performance in Saturday’s $70,000 Group 3 LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes (1550m) at Awapuni.

The filly was bred by former Cambridge Stud owners Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan and descends from their acclaimed Eight Carat-Diamond Lover-Tristalove line.

Bought at Karaka for $640,000 as a yearling in 2017, Queen of Diamonds won a Te Rapa maiden by four and three-quarter lengths late last month. On Saturday she stepped up to stakes class and handled it with ease.

After settling in third place for rider Lisa Allpress, Queen of Diamonds quickened brilliantly in the straight and roared past the front-running Rocket Fuel (Smart Missile) to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

Elate (NZ) (Savabeel) produced a strong finish to claim second in a Savabeel quinella, while Just Fabulous (NZ) (O’Reilly) got up for third.

“A serious, serious filly,” Queen of Diamonds’ owners China Horse Club tweeted. “On her way to the top.”

Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, Queen of Diamonds has had four starts for two wins, a placing and $49,175 in stakes.

Cambridge Stud will offer a Tavistock half-brother to Queen of Diamonds as Lot 177 in Book 1 of Karaka 2019.

Queen of Diamonds picked up 6 Filly of the Year Series points for Saturday’s victory, moving her into equal fourth position alongside Avantage (Fastnet Rock). Elate and Just Fabulous also joined the points table with 3 and 1.5 points respectively.

Queen Of Diamonds is the second major age-group success this season for the combination of the Baker-Forsman table, the China Horse Club and a graduate of the Karaka sale ring. Their $36,000 Select Sale purchase Madison County (NZ) (Pins) won last month’s Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

The New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series will continue on Boxing Day with the $100,000 Group 2 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie.