Diamond Necklace stays unbeaten in Nassau victory
Diamond Necklace remains unbeaten after six starts, adding a Group 1 in England on Thursday to the three she already had claimed in France.
Favored at odds of 1-5 on the American tote, Diamond Necklace made that price look about right with a casual 2 3/4-length victory in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse. She had no trouble overhauling second choice Friendly Soul, a 5-year-old mare who tracked Diamond Necklace’s pacemaker, Moments of Joy, before taking the lead with a little more than a quarter-mile left in the 1 1/4-mile Nassau. Diamond Necklace, a 3-year-old getting nine pounds from her elders in the sex-restricted Nassau, sauntered past Friendly Soul at the furlong grounds, idled a bit, according to jockey Ryan Moore, and still proved much the best.
Friendly Soul was easily second best, five lengths clear of See The Fire in a humdrum renewal of the Nassau.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien left the door open for the rest of Diamond Necklace’s campaign. There are races for her in Ireland -- like the Irish Champion Stakes – options in France, including, possibly, the 1 1/2-mile Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and a potential trip to America for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. The Nassau is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and by winning it, Diamond Necklace gained automatic fees-paid entry into the Filly and Mare Turf, run over 1 3/16 miles at Keeneland this year.
Diamond Necklace has not received the sort of attention one might imagine an undefeated, O’Brien-trained, four-time Group 1 winner would attract. Her top-level score last year came in the Prix Marcel-Boussac, and she showed her versatility with regard to distance capturing the one-mile Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, France’s 1000 Guineas, and the 1 5/16-mile Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, before stepping up to meet older rivals at Goodwood.
Diamond Necklace is by St Mark’s Basilica and out of the Dansili mare Prudenzia. She has not risen especially high in official ratings, nor has she yet defeated a truly top horse, but so far, no one has been able to beat her.
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