So, a four-year-old mare making her debut in an 1100m race, by Melbourne
Cup winner Shocking out of a Cape Cross mare that won at a mile – later on right?
No.
Diapason is the horse in question and the
resulting win at Sale on a Tuesday was impressive enough to plan for more.
She'd not been seen at any official trials but was obviously well found as the short-priced
favourite and after being taken back to a clear last by Craig Newitt, was
brought to the middle of the track and then never really in any danger of not
mowing them down with a sustained and impressive run.
She is by Shocking out of Musicanna and was offered at the 2014 NZB Select
Yearling Sale in the Rich Hill Stud draft, being bought for $40,000 by Chris
Waller Racing.
Interestingly though she stayed in New Zealand for a good while, not being shipped
to Australia until June of last year.
Musicanna is an English mare who won at Listed level and was twice Group I
placed.
A hint to the potential to fire over a short distance though comes from her
half-sister Our Poppet, who did nothing on the track with just the one start
but left a horse called Overdose.
Overdose had an 18 start career which saw 15 wins and by the time he finished
had been awarded Champion 3YO Sprinter in Germany and Italy and Champion 2YO Colt,
3YO Colt, Sprinter & Grass Horse in Slovakia in 2007 & 2008.
Maybe tough to get a real line on the quality of all that, however one of the
three defeats was notable in being a 1-1/4 length fourth to Prohibit in the
Group I Kings Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2011, the year Australia's Star
Witness finished second.
As for Diapason, it looked more the win of a horse with a bright future than an
average one winning its maiden so she'll certainly bear watching.