O’Brien’s Diamond Necklace seeks French Classic double in Prix de Diane
Aidan O’Brien saddles Diamond Necklace in the Group 1 French Oaks, 2100m at Chantilly, France, on Sunday, seeking a seventh major European classic of a standout start to the season, a fortnight after the champion Irish trainer dominated the French Derby with a remarkable 1-2-3.
Diamond Necklace claimed the Group 1 French 1000 Guineas (1600m) in holding ground at ParisLongchamp in May to make it four wins from four, and the longer trip should hold no fears for the classy daughter of St Mark’s Basilica.
“The plan was always, if everything went well in the Guineas, to come back here (to France). Everything has been very good since her last victory. I think she’s even better on better ground,” O’Brien, who landed the Prix de Diane with Joan Of Arc in 2021, said.
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Regarding the step up in distance for Ryan Moore’s mount, who starts in gate three, he said: “We’re going to learn more on Sunday, and you’re never sure what to do, but we always thought this distance wouldn’t be any problem.
“She’s very like her sire St Mark’s Basilica. When he went up to a mile and a quarter (2000m), he improved again and everything she does is very like him, really.”
Stablemate Moments Of Joy (Wayne Lordan, gate eight) is expected to improve after finishing a well-beaten fourth in a steadily run Group 3 Musidora Stakes (2051m) at York in which another French Oaks contender, Felicitas, took second.
“She (Moments Of Joy) had a couple of choices – the Epsom Oaks, Ascot for the Ribblesdale and Chantilly.
“We think there’s more improvement to come from her, and we think she’d like the trip, and we think she’d like the track as well.
“I don’t think she’d be mad about soft ground. She’s a very good mover.”
The nine-strong opposition to O’Brien’s duo is headed by Evolutionist, trained by Karl Burke, who trained the 2018 Prix de Diane winner, Laurens.
An impressive winner of her G3 Prix de la Grotte (1600m) at ParisLongchamp when resuming, she then found only O’Brien’s True Love too good in the G1 English 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Connections feel this extra distance will prove ideal after targeting the French Oaks rather than the 2405m Group 1 English equivalent. Shane Foley rides the filly.
Lilt, drawn in gate 10, will also have plenty of supporters, with William Haggas’s Lope De Vega bay filly putting her two-run unbeaten record on the line.
Her breeding suggests 2100m is well within her scope – she was running on strongly to make up four lengths late to land her Listed preparation trial at York (1575m) on her first start as a three-year-old.
Her jockey, Tom Marquand, reported: “She did a really good job in running down the leader, she’s beautifully bred… you’d have to say where she’s going to be real comfortable is within the 2000m range.”
David Menusier, the French trainer based in Newmarket, holds his charge Inis Mor (Oisin Murphy) in high regard. She put a disappointing run in the G1 English 1000 Guineas (1600m) behind her with a subsequent confidence-boosting Listed win over 1979m at Goodwood.
The local defence has cut up disappointingly with only four trying to deny the overseas raiding party, including Maxime Guyon-partnered Green Spirit, who finished third, beaten four and a half lengths by Diamond Necklace last time out.
The going is expected to be on the soft side of good.
