Diademe ready to bounce back in Breeders’

About the only difference for talented Cambridge mare Diademe (NZ) (Savabeel) leading into Saturday’s Gr.1 Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Te Aroha will be her price.

That’s the view of co-trainer Andrew Forsman, who says the Savabeel mare is just as bright as she was leading into her last start in the Gr.2 Japan Trophy (1600m) at Tauranga last Saturday week.

That day Diademe ran the worst race of her career, finishing 12th. She was beaten turning for home on a track rated as a dead four after rain in the week leading up to the meeting.

Diademe had never missed a placing before that race. She started as the $3.70 favourite after a brilliant all-the-way win in the Gr.3 Westbury Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie during Auckland Cup week.

A vet examination after the race revealed she was “mildly lame in the right hind leg”.

However, Forsman said Diademe showed no signs of lameness in the days after the race and their vet had given her the all clear to continue training after two days.

“Two or three days later she was good as gold again. I’m not too sure what she did – whether she just strained something slightly, we don’t know – but maybe it was just the shifty track,” Forsman said yesterday.

“She’s come through that race really well. She seems happy as Larry. Her work is as good as ever, so hopefully that was just a glitch. She had two days off after that race and since then it’s just been business as usual.”

Diademe’s win in the Westbury Classic showed she was up with the best mares in the country and Forsman said the stable was simply taking the approach that her Tauranga failure was best forgotten.

“You just have to forget about it. We were really happy with her going into that run, so we just have to press ahead like normal. Her trackwork has been very good since” Forsman said.

“If she runs up to her previous form she’d have to be right in it. People will drop off her after her last start but we’ll just put that down to a bump in the road.”

In the Westbury Classic, she beat home Fleur de Lune (NZ) (Stravinsky), Amberio (NZ) (Captain Rio), Kekova (NZ) (Elusive City) and Xanadu (NZ) (Elusive City) – four mares who rate among the leading chances for Saturday’s 1600m weight-for-age fillies and mares feature.

There were 12 entries for the race yesterday, with Group One winner Quintessential (NZ) (Fast n’ Famous) the other high-profile nomination.

The remainder were Capital Diamond (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn), Carlotta (Ekraar), Dancing Attendance (Danehill Dancer), Anna Maria (NZ) (Ustinov), Neena Rock (Fastnet Rock) and the three-year-old filly Twilight Granita (NZ) (Iffraaj), also trained by Forsman and Murray Baker. Stakes-winning fillyTwilight Granita claimed her third win from 16 starts in a Rating 75 race at Ellerslie on Monday and Forsman said she deserved her shot at a Group One race.

“We entered her thinking the race might lack a bit of depth, which it does. If she drew a barrier and had a soft run, she’s the sort of tough filly who could be right in the finish and she might lob a Group One placing,” Forsman said.

Among the leading mares missing from the Te Aroha feature are Japan Trophy winner Our Famous Eve (NZ) (Fast ‘n’ Famous), third-placed Postmans Daughter (NZ) (Postponed), Zurella (NZ) (Zabeel), Innovation (NZ) (Keeper) and Shandream (NZ) (Pins), all believed to be favouring the Gr.1 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday week.

Either Matthew Cameron or Mark Du Plessis will take the ride on Diademe, with the other riding Twilight Granita.

Opie Bosson had been booked for Diademe but was yesterday ruled out after breaking his hand at Ellerslie on Monday.

Bosson had opted to stay in New Zealand and ride Diademe, rather than return to Sydney to partner Sangster in the Gr.1 The BMW 2400m).