Savabeel filly impressing Baker

When trainer Murray Baker tells you he has a filly with a touch of class about her, it pays to take notice.

Baker holds that opinion of the royally-bred Savabeel three-year-old Queen Of Diamonds who gave a glimpse of her potential when she crushed her rivals in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni.

Queen Of Diamonds never looked in danger of defeat thanks to a canny ride from leading jockey Lisa Allpress.

Allpress had her charge purring along in the trail behind a moderate tempo and when in the clear she exploded away.

“She is a very nice filly, a very classy individual,” Baker said.

“I’ve always held her in high regard, but we’ve taken our time with her as I think she has plenty to offer in the future.

“We didn’t run her as a two-year-old, just trialled her, as we thought that she needed that time to develop.”

Baker said the further the filly goes the better she will be as he and co-trainer Andrew Forsman plot a path towards a Group One target.

“We have her nominated for the Levin Classic as well as the Oaks which are both at Trentham so that is where I would like to head with her,” he said.

“She was an expensive purchase at the sales so the more black-type we can get with her the better it will be for her owners.

“If she continues to make the sort of progress I think she is capable of then I would think she could be one to take to Sydney in the Autumn, although there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before then.”

Queen of Diamonds is a daughter of Danehill mare Love Diamonds and a younger half-sister to handy racemare Lovetessa (O’Reilly) who placed third in the 2015 running of the Eulogy Stakes during a brief career on the track.