Palm Angel Downs Favourite to Win G2 Blue Diamond Prelude

Tara Madgwick - Saturday February 8

The $350,000 Group II MRC Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday had a hot favourite in My Gladiola, who was looking to repeat her brilliant debut victory in the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview last month, but she came up short when overpowered by Starspangledbanner filly Palm Angel.

Palm Angel downs My Gladiola to win the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude - image Grant Courtney

Trained by Jason Warren and ridden by Ethan Brown, Palm Angel won the Listed MRC Merson Cooper Stakes on debut last spring and was then fifth behind My Gladiola when resuming from a spell, but bounced out of that run to produce a new career best performance.

My Gladiola drew wide and went forward to lead and gave a good kick at the 200m, but when Palm Angel angled out of her slipstream, she surged past the grey to win by a length with Wootton Bassett (GB) filly Wiltshire Square racking up her third stakes placing from three starts.

Palm Angel has won two of three starts banking $336,600 in prizemoney and will head to the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes giving every impression 1200m will suit her event better.

"We went into her first-up run in the Preview a little bit soft, we'd gone there with one jumpout under our belt with a view that our Grand Final was still six weeks away,” Jason Warren revealed.

"So, we used the run to bring her on. The barrier draw last start forced the issue, so we didn't knock her around and felt that we came here much improved and I think we can tighten up a little bit further into the Grand Final in two weeks.”

Palm Angel and her owners celebrate - image Grant Courtney

Ethan Brown has ridden Palm Angel in all three of her starts and is full of praise for the talented chestnut.

"She's got a great constitution, she's a little racehorse,” he said.

"She did have a soft run from the gate, she dropped the bit nicely, but once she got off My Gladiola's back she really sprinted down well.

Advertisement

"I only hit her once or twice, she did the rest herself, and it was quite a soft win."

"The ability to deal with pressure and she does that just fine.

"She put the writing on the wall her first start and she ran well the other day but I said to Jase, 'you've got to just trust she's going to improve out of this run', and she certainly did.

"She was prepared in terrific order by Jase and the team and I'm just rapt to be on her."

Palm Angel is a half-sister  to stakes-placed Narbold and is the second winner from three to race from blue-blood Pivotal mare Noblest (GB), a winning sister to dual Group I winning miler Peeress, the grand-dam of this year’s Group I Newbury Lockinge Stakes winner Audience as well as Group III winners Esquire and Dark Lady.

Noblest was bought by Rosemont Stud at the 2016 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale for 125,000 euros.

Palm Angel is by outstanding sire Starspangledbanner, who covered Noblest again in 2023 resulting in another filly born on August 28 last year and she is now in foal to another of the Coolmore sires in Churchill (IRE).

Palm Angel is the third stakes-winner for Starspangledbanner from a daughter of Pivotal joining Northern Hemisphere bred Spangled and also Aussie Group II winner Brooklyn Hustle, who was also bred and raced by Rosemont Stud.

Advertisment

Race Result - Sportsbet Blue Diamond Prelude (F) Gr2 1100m

Caulfield Track: Good(4) Time: 1:04.61
1
Palm Angel
- 2f Starspangledbanner (AUS) x Noblest (GB) (Pivotal (GB))
Tnr: Jason Warren Rdr: Ethan Brown 56
2
1
My Gladiola
- 2f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Villa Verde (AUS) (Not A Single Doubt (AUS))
Tnr: John McArdle Rdr: J Mott 56
I Am Invincible
3
1.8
Wiltshire Square
- 2f Wootton Bassett (GB) x Sausedge (AUS) (Shamus Award (AUS))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: S Foley 56
Wootton Bassett
4
2.5
Miss Celine
- 2f Magnus (AUS) x Charm's Honour (AUS) (Strada (AUS))
Tnr: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes Rdr: B Shinn 56
5
3.3
Odessa
- 2f Zoustar (AUS) x Aryaaf (AUS) (Epaulette (AUS))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: L Currie 56
6
4
Gin Spirit
- 2f Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Premeditated (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes Rdr: Jamie Melham 56
7
4.8
Expulsion
- 2f Bivouac (AUS) x Banish (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: A & S Freedman Rdr: M Zahra 56
8
5.3
Supergrace
- 2f Capitalist (AUS) x Nurse Kitchen (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: L & T Corstens & W Larkin Rdr: W Egan 56
9
6
Exit
- 2f Bivouac (AUS) x Secretly Discreet (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: Thomas Stockdale 56
10
14
La Reine
- 2f King's Legacy (AUS) x Marechal (NZ) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: S P Nichols Rdr: Zac Spain 56
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Wednesday September 3
Here is the full list of 41 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Coolmore Sired Fillies Quinella Listed Merson Cooper
The Listed MRC Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday featured colts and fillies with the girls coming out on top as Rosemont Stud’s homebred Starspangledbanner filly Palm Angel was too nippy for the late closing Wootton Bassett (GB) filly Wiltshire Square.
Debut Winner and Welcome Return
Vinery Stud’s Exceedance produced a debut winner at Moe on Thursday that started as a short priced favourite and on Saturday at Randwick we will see the return of his best performer to date.
River (Banking) on Dalasan
There are any number of reasons a stallion can go radio silent in their third and fourth seasons at stud.
NZB Filly of the Year Series Springs to Life with Gold Trail Stakes
One of the traditional signs that spring racing has arrived in New Zealand is the running of the first leg of the NZB Filly of the Year Series, the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m). The $150,000 race looks a little different this year in a temporary new home, but it will still give us that same first look at the latest crop of fillies vying for the coveted title.
Corumbene Stud Mourn Loss of Treasured Mare
Corumbene Stud took to Instagram earlier today to announce the passing of their much loved broodmare Bahia, the dam of Golden Slipper winner Overreach.
Sires With Winners - Thursday September 4
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Alabama Lass Primed for G1 Moir
Tackling Group Ones on either side of the Tasman is nothing new for Ken and Bev Kelso, and they will do exactly that this weekend.
Melbourne Cup Ciaron Maher Stable Also in the Hunt
Earlier this week we ran a story on the Chris Waller trained entries for this year’s Melbourne Cup and today we’re taking a look at the trainer with the next biggest number of contenders and that is Ciaron Maher with 13.
Sunlight’s Sister Clean Energy Retired
The most expensive yearling filly sold in Australia in 2023 when fetching $2.6million for Widden Stud at Inglis Easter, Clean Energy has been retired to stud.