The top lot at the 2024 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale was a blueblood St Mark’s Basilica filly from blue hen Prudenzia that sold for €1.7million to MV Magnier and she made a winning debut overnight at The Curragh.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Wayne Lordan, Diamond Necklace was doing her best work on the line to forge clear and win by a length and a half over her stablemate Minerva, a daughter of Frankel.
"She’s a lovely filly with a great pedigree. Her dad didn’t win a maiden for another three weeks so that’s St Mark’s Basilica for you. He went on to win the Dewhurst and how he improved from two to three was incredible,” said Aidan O’Brien.
"She could end up being one for the Fillies' Mile (G1) with maybe a run or two in between. She’s going to be lovely next year."
Diamond Necklace was bred by Ecurie des Monceaux and Skymarc Farm and is the half-sister to Group I winners Magic Wand and Chiquita (dam of Group II winner Emily Dickinson), as well as Group III winner Philomene.
She is the ninth winner from 10 foals to race from stakes-winning Dansili mare Prudenzia.
Diamond Necklace is the second new winner in as many days for St Mark’s Basilica after Thesecretadversary won the Listed Churchill Stakes at Tipperary on Friday and he very nearly had another stakes-winner on Saturday when Princess Petrol was beaten a neck for second in the Group III Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.
St Mark’s Basilica has now sired seven first crop winners and returns to Coolmore Australia at a fee of $38,500.
