Proviso wins Diana Stakes
Having won the main race at Goodwood, the true scale of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s world-wide success was underlined when Proviso won the Grade One Diana Stakes at Saratoga.
The green silks with the pink sash and cap that have become a constant theme of the great races in Europe and America were carried by Midday to win the Grade One Nassau Stakes a few hours earlier and Proviso had begun her career in Europe when she was trained by André Fabre.
However, despite winning two Group races for Fabre, the mare never quite reached the potential that she had hinted at in her two-year-old season. Abdullah has had great success with horses, especially fillies, who he has switched to racing stateside and the trick has clearly worked again.
Since she arrived at Bill Mott’s yard she had run three times and had won her last two starts, both Grade Ones - Frank E Kilroe Mile Handicap at Santa Anita and the Just A Game Stakes at Belmont – both times ridden by Mike Smith who was in the saddle again.
Dynaslew had a soft lead through the first half of the race in a slow time as Smith waited until the home turn to make his move. He came three wide around Dynaslew and Maram and the three of them were joined in a last-furlong battle by both Forever Together and Shared Account, with only a couple of lengths covering the quintet as Proviso slugged it out to win by a head from Shared Account with Forever Together a nose back in third.
"It wasn’t a big field but it was an extremely talented field, and she got the job done," Smith said. "I knew it was going to be a tough race, and that no one was going to draw off and win it easily because they were all too good. She made a good move down the backside and that helped us win the race.”
Aidan O’Brien also hoped that a change would be as good as rest for Steinbeck when he ran in the other highlight on the Saratoga card, the Grade Two Jim Dandy Stakes.
Steinbeck had been regarded as one of Ballydoyle’s Classic candidates – indeed he was market leader for the 2000 Guineas after he won his maiden at Naas last May. But he had not managed a win in four runs since which included a second to Famous Name in the Group Three Meld Stakes at Leopardstown last week.
Steinbeck was ridden by Garrett Gomez, who had won the 2006 Shadwell Mile at Keeneland in 2006 on Aussie Rules for O’Brien, and the trainer had decided to use the option of running the colt on lasix but on this evidence it will need more than a little veterinary assistance for this colt to live up to his early reputation.
He was well off the early pace set by Miner's Reserve and, although he closed on the home turn, Steinbeck never looked like he would figure in the finish as he trailed in sixth. That was fought out by Miner's Reserve and A Little Warm, trained by Tony Dutrow and ridden by John Velazquez, who came through in the final furlong for his third Grade Two win.
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