Ethical diamond Stuns in $5 Million turf at Breeders’ Cup
DEL MAR, Calif. – In a stunning upset, Ethical Diamond surged too victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, overcoming an outside draw and a competitive field.The french-trained 3-year-old filly, previously finishing 13th in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe a month prior, unleashed a late run to defeat Kentucky-trained She Feels Pretty by a half-length. Godolphin’s Diamond Rain finished third.
Ethical Diamond,a daughter of almanzor,rebounded from her Arc disappointment to deliver an extraordinary performance for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. Earlier in the season,she secured victories in the Group 2 Prix Sasint Alary and Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks),and a second-place finish in the Group 1 Prix Vermille.
She feels Pretty, trained by Cherie DeVaux for Lael Stable, also enjoyed a prosperous season, with wins in the Grade I New York stakes and Grade I E.P. Taylor, and a narrow second-place finish in the Grade I Diana at Saratoga.
Elsewhere on the card:
* FanDuel Mile: Notable Speech, ridden by William Buick, secured victory in the $2 million FanDuel Mile, finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Formidable Man. The Lion in Winter was a close third. Trainer Charlie Appleby noted the Godolphin homebred had disappointed since winning the Group 1 2,000 Guineas and Group 1 St James’s Palace in 2024, but showed betterment with a second in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Marois and a win in the Grade I Woodbine Mile.
* Prevagen Turf Sprint: Shisospicy dominated the $1 million Prevagen Turf Sprint, leading from start to finish and winning by 2 1/2 lengths. Ag Bullet finished second, followed by Khaadem. Jockey irad Ortiz Jr. guided the 3-year-old Mitole filly to victory in 55.24 seconds. The favorite, Motorious, struggled after a poor start from the No. 1 gate.
* Awtaad drew the outside gate for the Turf.
* Trainer Aidan O’Brien, despite a largely disappointing Breeders’ Cup weekend aside from Gstaad’s win, noted that Minnie Hauk “just went very fast and she just got trapped out a little bit,” adding she would likely remain in training next year.
* William Buick, aboard Rebel’s Romance, stated, “I’m so proud of this horse…he ran his heart out.” He acknowledged a lovely trip but noted, “But [stuff] happened.”
