A first-up run that didn’t go to plan has had Oh Diamond Lil on the backfoot, but trainer David Pfieffer is confident the mare is ready to rebound in the $500,000 Magic Millions National Classic at Eagle Farm.
A Group 3 winner in the spring, Oh Diamond Lil was solid in the market when she failed to beat a runner home in the Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) on May 2.
It subsequently emerged a breathing issue was to blame, and while she responded well to the addition of a tongue tie second-up in the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) at Scone, her fitness levels weren’t where they needed to be as a result of the soft run fresh.
“She hit the front and looked good for a while, but that last 100 she looked a bit weak. That was just off not gaining what we wanted to gain first-up,” Pfeiffer said.
“That run at Scone has topped her right up. Usually, her first-up run is good, her second-up run can be a little bit plain, but she is hopefully cherry-ripe.”
The Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) is the second richest race at Eagle Farm on Saturday, behind only the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) which offers a $700,000 prizemoney purse.
Oh Diamond Lil will be one of just two metropolitan runners for Pfieffer on Saturday, along with the emerging Ice Kool in Sydney, and the Warwick Farm horseman is quietly confident he can land a two-state clean sweep.
“The way she has worked leading into it, I think she is going to run a mighty race. Hopefully it’s a two-state double,” he quipped.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott is also upbeat about the chances of Surfin’ Bird in the National Classic, despite a challenging draw in barrier 15.
She has come through the same two races as Oh Diamond Lil, finishing runner-up at Hawkesbury and fifth in the Dark Jewel Classic, and Bott is banking on a distance rise proving key.
“Getting out to the mile is what she has been looking for all preparation, and I’d like to think third-up, right conditions, there are a lot of things in her favour,” Bott said.
“We have seen the improvement we’ve wanted to physically and in her fitness, and it’s better race conditions for her as well.”
Both Surfin’ Bird and Oh Diamond Lil have outstanding records over 1600m, the former unbeaten in her two starts at the journey, while Oh Diamond Lil has won four of her five mile appearances.
