With Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) starting off her campaign, the way was open for a progressive type to make hay and it was Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who stepped up to register a career-best. Second in the Listed Power S. over six furlongs at Navan last May, the bay looked in need of further when fourth again at that trip in the G3 Ballyogan S. at The Curragh in early June and belied her odds of 33-1 when second to the subsequent G3 Atalanta S. winner and G1 Matron S. runner-up Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) 11 days later in Royal Ascot's Listed Sandringham H. tackling a mile for the first time. Luckless on her first start in the States when her saddle slipped as she was last of eight in the GII Lake George S. at Saratoga the following month, she put that behind her when chasing home Time and Motion (Tapit) and Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) in the GII Lake Placid S. back there in August and when runner-up in the GII Sands Point S. at Belmont in September. Held up in rear throughout the early stages as Blue de Vega (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) led, she was being asked the question as the front-runner looked the likely winner passing the quarter pole. With that rival tiring notably late on and letting in Alice Springs, it was Diamond Fields who delivered the telling blow on the outer as she proved too strong in the final 50 yards.
“I gave her a terrible ride, but I had a willing partner,” jockey Chris Hayes said. “It was a funny race and more of a 3 1/2-furlong sprint and she is tough and genuine.” Trainer Fozzy Stack, who has enjoyed a flying start to his new post after the retirement of his father Tommy, added, “She ran well at Belmont on her last start behind a very smart filly, and probably didn't just get the nine furlongs that day. She's smart and may come back here for the [G3] Athasi, and then maybe [Royal] Ascot, although there is another race back in New York around that time so we'll have to see where we go. I'm very pleased for the owner Mary Slack. It's the biggest winner she has had in Ireland or England. She is a good supporter of the yard and has a stud farm down in South Africa, so I'm sure she will breed off her at some stage.”
Pedigree Notes…
The winner is the first foal out of Question Times, who showed talent as a juvenile for Peter Chapple-Hyam and was second in the Listed Bosra Sham Fillies' S. She is a half-sister to another from that stable in Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who won the G3 Sceptre S. over this trip and was second in the G1 Cheveley Park S. and whose dam was a half to three black-type performers headed by the G2 Hungerford S. winner and dual G1 Prix de la Foret runner-up Welsh Emperor (Ire) (Emperor Jones). The dam has a 2-year-old colt by Camelot (GB) named Latrobe (Ire) and a yearling filly also by that sire.
Sunday, Naas, Ireland
GLADNESS S.-G3, €60,000, NAA, 4-9, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:30.05, yl.
1–#@DIAMOND FIELDS (IRE), 130, f, 4, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Question Times (GB) (SP-Eng), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Forever Times (GB), by So Factual
3rd Dam: Simply Times, by Dodge
(€55,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Ms Mary Slack; B-Sweetmans
Bloodstock (IRE); T-Fozzy Stack; J-Chris Hayes. €35,400.
Lifetime Record: MGSP-US & SP-Eng, 12-2-5-1, $224,051.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Alice Springs (Ire), 135, f, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Aleagueoftheirown
(Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (550,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT).
O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith;
B-Lynch-Bages & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien.
€12,000.
3–Blue de Vega (Ger), 133, c, 4, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Burning
Heights (Ger), by Montjeu (Ire). (€32,000 Ylg '14 BBAGS;
€75,000 2yo '15 GBMBR). O-Qatar Racing Ltd, HH Sheikh
Khalifa Abdulla K H Al Thani & HH Sheikh Suhaim; B-Gestut
Ammerland (GER); T-Michael O'Callaghan. €6,000.
Margins: HF, HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.50, 1.50, 2.00.
Also Ran: Smash Williams (Ire), Gordon Lord Byron (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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