News

Diamond Earth delivers for the punters at the Valley

23rd Oct 2011

Racenet - Clinton Payne - Saturday, 22 October 2011

Cox Plate day 2011 couldn’t have started worse for bookies with the well-fancied Diamond Earth prevailing in an exciting start to the day in the $250,000 Microflite helicopters Inglis Banner.

The Anthony Cummings-trained filly was a $31 chance when markets opened on Wednesday. The early bird punters seized on the price and the daughter of Choisir was sent to the barriers a $9 chance after easing from her opening on-course quote of $8.

The speedy chestnut showed an abundance of early pace to hold out an attack for the lead from Lamingtons, the horse that had been the best-backed runner on-course at Moonee Valley.

The duo led the field into the straight, going stride for stride with Lamingtons appearing as through she’d gain the upper hand but the diminutive Diamond Earth refused to lay down and won in a thrilling finish with the Tony McEvoy-trained Streamline in third.

"I thought the second horse was going to wear her down in the straight but the more I asked, the more she gave,” winning rider Damien Oliver said. "She kept responding.

"My feet we’re nearly dragging on the ground. She’s a pony.”

Cummings described Diamond Earth as "foalish” but a filly of good promise and he said the Inglis Classic at Rosehill in Sydney would be the logical long range goal.

"She has showed plenty at home and the race here was the obvious target as it’s worth plenty of money,” Cummings said. "A great promotion by Inglis.

"Like all of them [two-year-olds] she’s still underdone and she still looks a bit foalish. We had to tie the blinkers on her.

"We couldn’t find blinkers small enough to fit her.

"She’s obviously got growing and developing to do but she’s a natural talent, got great speed and great tenacity.”

The owners of Diamond Earth paid just $60,000 for the filly out of former John Hawkes-trained galloper Face Of The Earth.

The victory earned her connections a healthy $145,000 in prizemoney and a $50,000 Inglis – Super VOBIS sales voucher.