'Very exciting' Diamond Necklace sparkles in French 1,000 Guineas - but what did the time of her performance tell us?

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Diamond Necklace may have been a prohibitive favourite to follow up her dominant display here last October but, even at odds of 4-5, there was a sense of wonder at just how emphatically she stamped her authority on the field. 

Perhaps the only greater surprise is that Aidan O’Brien was winning the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches for only a second time, 25 years on from the success of Rose Gypsy and Mick Kinane. 

Ryan Moore was never likely to overcomplicate things from a kind draw in stall three and hugged the rail in the second rank, safe in the knowledge the ‘Open Stretch’ cutaway rail would give him an extra option when he chose to launch his attack. 

Ultimately, Diamond Necklace’s superiority was such that it would have taken some serious traffic to have halted her progress. While The Last Dance came out of the pack to give chase, the margin of three lengths was the least the winner deserved.

A first-crop daughter of Coolmore’s dual French Classic winner St Mark’s Basilica, Diamond Necklace coped well with ground which had undoubtedly softened under heavy mid-afternoon rain, just as she had in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day, though those closest to her must be relishing the chance of unleashing her full potential on a sounder surface. 

“I'm delighted, Ryan gave her a brilliant ride," said O'Brien. "She's like her dad as she has improved from two to three. 

"Christophe [Soumillon] rode her last year and it was Ryan’s first time today. She was very classy last year and she's got a lot of natural ability.”

Diamond Necklace was cut across the board for the Betfred Oaks, with the sponsors making her 5-1 second-favourite behind stablemate Amelia Earhart, though it’s hard to escape the conclusion there are a couple of extra points on top because the Coolmore partners may be tempted to return to France for the Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly on June 14.

O’Brien and the owners will have that discussion in the days to come, but confirmed she will go up in trip for one of the two middle-distance Classics rather than stay at a mile.

“We had it in our head she'd be either a Prix de Diane filly or go for the Oaks, depending what the lads want to do,” said O’Brien. 

“We thought that was the way she was going to go, up to a mile and a quarter and maybe further. She’s very exciting. We’re so lucky to have her. 

“I didn’t get to speak to Ryan about how far she’ll stay, but she had a lovely position, she went through the race very easily and handled the ground very well.

“She’s a natural, just like her father. He won the Guineas here and then came back and won the French Derby, and we saw what he did after that.”

The form of the Pouliches followed that of the Boussac closely, with Green Spirit and Narissa filling third and fourth here, having been second and third on Arc day.

The filly who really did show herself in a new light was The Last Dance, who was roared home by her entourage in the parade ring and who celebrated as if she had won. 

Ryan Moore and Diamond Necklace's groom Siobhan Bergin after the French 1,000 GuineasCredit: APRH / CLEMENTINE VERET

Joint-trainer Yann Lerner was understandably emotional in the immediate aftermath, though still able to give a calm and rational analysis of his filly’s performance.

“She was magnificent," he said. "I was very disappointed with her last time, even though she won. I thought she'd win in a canter that day. 

"She behaved beautifully today and we’ve just run into a monster. But you have to remember that’s just the third run of her career. 

The Last Dance and Christophe Soumillon finished a fine second in the Poule d'Essai des PoulichesCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"I think we’re always in too much of a hurry with horses and my feeling is that hitting your objectives becomes easier only once you learn to be patient and give them time. 

"Look De Vega won the Jockey Club on only his third start and I think it’s so easy to push horses too early. Today, my filly arrived here in great shape. We’ll see whether she’s a filly for the Diane, I’ll see what Christophe [Soumillon] thinks.”

The rain appeared to compromise the chances of several of the visitors, with Zanthos burning up early petrol from a wide draw to get the lead under Oisin Murphy, before fading to be ninth.

“The ground was against us, as was a wide draw,” said joint-trainer Simon Crisford. “She's run okay. We'll probably drop back in trip for the Commonwealth Cup.”

Half Sovereign also had a prominent early position under William Buick but beat only three home in the 15-runner contest, with trainer Karl Burke reflecting: “William thought she hated the ground; 'war of attrition' were his words. 

“The trip was a doubt in my mind and that's been compounded by the ground. She travelled lovely turning in and I thought we were in with a squeak, but she just didn't get home.”

Analysis: Diamond Necklace no superstar on her effort

By Graeme Rodway, deputy betting editor

I like that the French 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas are run on the same card at Longchamp. It allows us to compare the performance of each winner against using the clock, and it’s even better when there are just 35 minutes between the races, as was the case on Sunday.

However, the begging question is just what happened with the weather in those 35 minutes? There was a significant amount of rain at Longchamp and how much difference did that make in slowing the ground between the two Group 1s?

The ground was officially changed from very soft to heavy before Diamond Necklace won the Pouliches, so it seems fair to assume that there was some deterioration in the conditions. But, purely on times and using BHA lengths per second for comparison, she completed the mile course more than ten lengths slower than Rayif had in the Poulains 35 minutes before.

Not only was Rayif’s overall time quicker, but his finishing sectional was also faster. He completed the final two furlongs in a time equating to six and three-quarter lengths better.

The caveat of ground deterioration must be added again here, but if the times are worth anything then Rayif achieved more than Diamond Necklace and she is no superstar on this effort.

Aidan O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing after the race that the Prix de Diane and the Oaks were under consideration, and it may be that going up in trip will bring improvement. However, it will need to if she is to live up to the talk of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, for which she is now 16-1 third favourite.

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