Rocks or Diamonds? Classy mare tests trainer David Pfieffer's patience

News.com.au

2 days ago

Oh Diamond Lil might be a slow maturing mare but she just happens to be an extremely fast racehorse.
Trainer David Pfieffer spoke about the two very different sides of Oh Diamond Lil on the eve of the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1400m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
'She is probably an owner's nightmare and a dream at the same time,'' Pfieffer explained.
'Because she has been such a slow maturer, she has taken a long time to grow into herself and I still don't think she is there yet.
'Although she is nearly a five-year-old, she's still not fully matured but her owners have been patient and they are reaping the rewards now.''
Oh Diamond Lil, a daughter of Coolmore's champion racehorse and sire So You Think, has only had nine starts but she has already won four races and only once has she missed a top three finish.
At the Scone stand-alone meeting three weeks ago, Oh Diamond Lil resumed with a powerful win over 1300m and Pfieffer was confident his mare would handle the class rise at Randwick.
Even the likelihood of a heavy track surface doesn't overly concern the trainer. Randwick was rated a heavy 8 late on Friday.
'Ideally, I would like to see it between a soft 6-7 as she is only second-up, but I think it will be an improving heavy,'' Pfieffer said.
'She is a horse that puts a lot into her work so she naturally gets herself fit anyway.
'The way she raced last start it was like a horse that is wanting more ground and the soft-heavy track is going to make it more of a test.
'But she's in great form and is improving every preparation.''
ðŸ'Ž Oh Diamond Lil gets the perfect run and wins at Scone! @KPMcEvoy | @DavidPfieffer pic.twitter.com/L8AM0u5DwG
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025
In latest TAB Fixed Odds betting, Oh Diamond Lil is challenging for favouritism at $3.90 behind the Ciaron Maher-trained Federer at $3.50.
Pfieffer is taking two horses to the Randwick meeting with Whinchat lining up in the Singapore Pools Handicap (1300m).
Whinchat resumed after a long spell at Scone last month and ran a blinder to beat all but The Instructor in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m).
'It would have been a nice feat to get a win first-up with Whinchat after such a long break,'' Pfieffer said.
'But he's pulled up well and is going great. Jay (Ford) galloped him during the week and said the horse is ready to fire.
'The barrier (10) probably works out well for him and he will appreciate the improving track, too.
'He has raced well on wet tracks in the past and 1300m second-up with three weeks between runs looks ideal.''
• 'I'll be moving to Vaucluse!': It's all in the name for Sargent filly
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Private trial shows Pride gelding on song for Stradbroke
"Nash is certainly giving him a good sound out."
A solid gallop for @PrideRacing star Private Eye under @nashhot as he leads all the way in a 900m trial at Rosehill on Friday beating Starman with the winner's stablemate City Of Lights third. @tabcomau pic.twitter.com/juB4TMXt4n
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) June 6, 2025
Private Eye, winner of $11.9 million prizemoney, tuned up for next week's Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap by taking out a Rosehill barrier trial on Friday.
The Joe Pride -trained Private Eye began brilliantly out of the barriers and went straight to the front in the 900m heat and comfortably held Starman and City Of Lights at bay.
This was Private Eye's fourth barrier trial in recent weeks as Pride prepares the gelding for an audacious first-up Stradbroke bid at Eagle Farm on June 14.
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Baker in hot form in country
Jack Baker, the 3kg claiming apprentice, is starting to make a name for himself on the NSW country circuit.
Baker, 21, is in only his second season of riding but scored his 35th career win and his first at the provincials on Hot Bandit at Kembla Grange earlier this week.
The young apprentice rides next at Sapphire Coast on Sunday on the Luke Pepper -trained Fifty Five Mustang.
For racing historians, Jack Baker's name might be familiar – and with good reason.
The apprentice shares his name with the jockey who rode the legendary Phar Lap to his very first win as a two-year-old at Rosehill in 1929.
The great Phar Lap only won once in his first 10 starts but during the spring of his three-year-old season, he started to turn into a famous winning machine.
Phar Lap won 36 of his final 41 starts including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Champion jockey Jim Pike became Phar Lap's regular rider and the combination won 27 of their 30 races together.
The mighty chestnut went to America to win the 1932 Agua Caliente Handicap only to die weeks later after contracting a sudden but mysterious illness.
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Waller, J-Mac shooting for history
Chris Waller and James McDonald are joining forces to try and break national Group 1 records at Eagle Farm.
Waller is aiming to train his 19th Group 1 win of the season, which would set a new standard after equalling his all-time record of 18 majors he first achieved in 2018-19.
McDonald has ridden 14 Australian Group 1 winners during 2024-25 and has the opportunity to equal or even break 'Miracle' Mal Johnston's longstanding national riding record of 16 major race winners he established in 1979-80.
Waller and McDonald team up with brilliant mare Joliestar ($2.30 favourite) in the Group 1 $1 million Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m), Movin Out ($8) in the Group 1 $700,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m) and Belle Detelle ($7) in the Group 1 $1 million Queensland Derby (2400m).
Waller has multiple runners in the three Group 1 races with Democracy Manifest ($41) in the Kingsford Smith Cup, Real Class ($51) and Lovey Dovey ($81) in the Oaks, while Imperialist ($16), Existential Bob ($34) and Liberty Park ($81) are in the Derby.
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Moore pumps for Delocroix in English Derby
Ryan Moore has chosen to ride Delacroix and not stablemate The Lion In Winter as their trainer Aidan O'Brien bids to win an incredible 11th English Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday night.
O'Brien has three runners in the famous English classic with Moore deciding to stay with the in-form Delacroix over The Lion In Winter, the long-time Derby favourite until his first-up defeat last month.
'It was always going to be hard for him not to ride Delacroix,'' O'Brien said of Moore's Derby choice. 'He is classy and we always thought he would be a Derby horse.
'The Lion In Winter went to the trial and did everything wrong but he has come forward a lot since.
' Lambourn is a lovely, straight forward horse he has a lovely draw in the middle, and he's a genuine, tough stayer.''
In TAB Fixed Odds betting, Delacroix is the Derby favourite at $4.20 just ahead of Godolophin's English 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court at $4.40 with The Lion In Winter at $6.
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5 YEARS AGO
Classique Legend, the brilliant sprinter trained by Les Bridge, missed the autumn carnival but returned for the Bob Charley AO (June) Stakes and despite carrying topweight of 60kg scored by a half length from Southern Lad at Royal Randwick. Later that year Classique Legend won the world's richest turf race, The Everest. The Brisbane winter carnival was impacted by the Covid pandemic and the Queensland Derby and Oaks, and Kingsford Smith Cup were not run in 2020.
Welcome back Classique Legend! @KPMcEvoy teams up with the much-loved grey to take out the Listed Bob Charley AO Stakes @royalrandwick pic.twitter.com/OTbRZN5frU
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 6, 2020
10 YEARS AGO
The mighty Winx, trained by Chris Waller, won her first Group 1 race when she stormed home to take out the Queensland Oaks, run that year at Doomben. This was Winx's second successive win and she was just starting her famous 33-race winning streak to close out her extraordinary career that included a world record 25 Group 1 wins. Snitzel, trained by Peter Snowden, scored an upset win at odds of $26 in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (then called the BTC Cup). Ridden by Blake Shinn, Hot Snitzel defeated Knoydart for a career-best win. There were more upsets with the Mark Kavanagh-trained Magicool winning the Queensland Derby at odds of $14. Wouldn't It Be Nice denied top mare Avoid Lightning a second straight win in the June Stakes.
The 2015 Queensland Oaks was the start of something special.
Winx notched up her first of 25 career Group 1s.
Connections have confirmed the champion mare will visit Too Darn Hot this season. â'‚ï¸� @HugeBowman @RaceQLD @winx_horse @cwallerracing @DKepitis pic.twitter.com/N0hL70qJey
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) June 3, 2025
20 YEARS AGO
Spark Of Life, trained by Allan Denham and ridden by Chris Munce, won the Kingsford Smith Cup (then called the BTC Cup). Hall of Fame jockey Glen Boss won two Queensland Derbys and both were for trainer John Morrisey including Lachlan River in 2005. Boss also won on Camarena in 1999. Vitesse Dane, trained by Kris Lees, won the Queensland Oaks. For Valour won the June Stakes.