News

Inglis Race Series Double for Diamond Earth

17th Dec 2011

Anthony Cummings trained Diamond Earth made it back to back Inglis Race Series wins at Warwick Farm today, adding the $250,000 Inglis Nursery to her $250,000 Inglis Banner victory at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day.

Diamond Earth showed tremendous gate speed from barrier nine to lead today's 1000m dash, set up a big break turning into the straight and held off the late finishing duo of De Shamekh and Flying Snitzel with a strong display of pure speed.

The daughter of Choisir has now collected $300,000 in first prizemoney thanks to Inglis, five times her purchase price of $60,000 from the draft of Golden Grove of Denman at the Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale earlier this year.

“A lot better today [than at Moonee Valley], she has taken big steps every time we have taken her out”, purchaser and trainer Antony Cummings said after the win.

“We haven’t asked a lot of her leading into this, she is just a natural two-year-old with obviously plenty of speed and the trick was to get her here fit enough but feeling good and that was certainly the case today.

“We had a slightly different plan today, but looking back at Moonee Valley and at her family, especially the successful ones, good gate speed and taking advantage of that puts them in a great position to win”, said Cummings.

Bred by Dr DJ O’Brien, DIAMOND EARTH ($60,000 2011 Classic, 2f Choisir-Face Of The Earth) is the second foal of stakes placed Strategic mare Face Of The Earth, who is a half-sister to speedy juvenile and now sire Face Value, with her first foal Halle Rocks (by Fastnet Rock) already a metropolitan winner in Melbourne.

Diamond Earth joins fellow Classic sale graduates Chance Bye and Pane In the Glass as winners of the $250,000 Inglis Nursery, which is restricted to two-year-olds nominated to the Inglis Race Series.

Both Chance Bye and Pane In The Glass went on to win the $250,000 Inglis Classic in January, and a win by Diamond Earth in next year’s 1200m event at Randwick on Saturday January 21 would make Anthony Cummings very hard to run down in race for the $50,000 Trainers Bonus attached to each Inglis Race Series.

Diamond Earth’s sire Choisir has built a strong affinity with Inglis Races since winning the 2002 Inglis Classic himself. Inglis Race Series winners by Choisir include Miss Independent (2008 Inglis Classic), Incumbent (2007 Inglis Premier), Starspangledbanner (2009 Inglis Juvenile) and now Diamond Earth (2011 Inglis Banner & 2011 Inglis Nursery).

Choisir himself was picked up by his trainer Paul Perry from the second crop of Danehill Dancer at the 2001 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling for $55,000, and the Royal Ascot conqueror has 23 yearlings heading to next year’s Classic Sale in Sydney.

The 2012 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling will be held at Newmarket on January 22 to 24 next year.