Diamond Necklace lands French 1,000 Guineas for O'Brien, stays unbeaten

Ballydoyle kept its Classic momentum rolling at ParisLongchamp as Diamond Necklace turned the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches into a clear-cut statement, staying unbeaten in four starts and strengthening Aidan O’Brien’s hold on the spring filly division.

The 3-year-old filly, by St Mark’s Basilica out of Prudenzia, by Dansili, settled the French 1,000 Guineas over a mile on heavy ground in 1:40.73 and pulled three lengths clear of The Last Dance, with Green Spirit third. It was her second Group 1, following the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day at Longchamp last October, and it completed the Boussac-Pouliches double for a filly already shaping as one of the season’s key Classic references.

For O’Brien, the win carried extra weight. This was only his second success in the French 1,000 Guineas, 25 years after Rose Gypsy in 2001, a reminder of how difficult it is to dominate this race even for a stable with Ballydoyle’s depth. In a week when the operation has continued to post results across Europe, Diamond Necklace gave the yard another headline winner at the exact point the Classic pecking order starts to separate the good from the potentially elite.

There was also a sharp commercial angle to the performance. France Galop said Diamond Necklace was bought at the 2024 Arqana August Sale in Deauville for a record €1.7 million, and her success instantly validates the price tag. More importantly for Coolmore, she became St Mark’s Basilica’s first Classic winner as a sire, a significant marker for a young stallion whose reputation will now rise with every premium filly she meets.

Her profile already suggests more than a one-day flash. She won the Prix Marcel Boussac as a juvenile, handled Leopardstown in the Listed Ingabelle Stakes, and has now shown she can translate that class to the rougher, more demanding terrain of a muddy Longchamp mile. O’Brien said the filly had improved from two to three and that Ryan Moore gave her a brilliant ride.

The wider French Classic picture only sharpened the impression. Rayif completed the Poule d’Essai des Poulains earlier on the same card, using the same inside-rail, cutaway-stretch tactic on heavy ground, leaving Ballydoyle and its allies with a double that reflected both planning and execution. Rayif’s next possible target is the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, while Diamond Necklace may now be pointed to the Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly on June 14 or the Oaks.

The question now is whether Diamond Necklace is simply the latest Ballydoyle star to emerge or a filly with the profile, pedigree and proven toughness to dominate the rest of the season.