Diamonds R upsets Irish Day Stakes

Under a heady ride by Leonel Camacho-Flores, Diamonds R upset heavily favored Bella Mia in the $50,000 Irish Day Stakes on Sunday at Emerald Downs. She paid $28.20 for her one-length victory over the 4-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

Diamonds R broke on top and actually held a short advantage over Bella Mia heading into the first turn. However, Camacho-Flores eased her into a stalking position while Bella Mia posted a quarter-mile time of 23.22 seconds. Along with Ima Happy Cat, Diamonds R moved up to engage the leader going down the backstretch, but once again Camacho-Flores took a hold and left Ima Happy Cat to the heavy lifting.

With Ima Happy Cat dropping back and Bella Mia drifting out, Diamonds R made her move from along the rail to take a short lead at the top of the stretch. She proved best after a stretch-long duel with Bella Mia who was game in defeat. Princessof the Nyl hesitated at the start and then made a late move to finish a non-threatening third.

The final time was 1:42.96.

Diamonds R is trained by Tom Wenzel and owned by George Todaro. It was the first stakes win for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Alternation.