Ascot carnival contenders were out in force for the G3 Eurythmic Stakes over 1400m on Saturday and the winner was a son of So You Think that has serious summer ambitions.
Punters were keen to see last season's resuming Old Comrade Stakes winner Watch Me Rock (Awesome Rock) take the step up and announce himself as a leading hope for upcoming feature races and the Grant and Alana Williams trained Watch Me Rock was sent to post a warm favourite under Willie Pike.
Comfort Me (Playing God) would lead and was well in commission as he chased back to back victories in the race.
Golden Saddle hero Magnificent Andy (Magnus) attracted late betting support as did talented mare Bonjoy (Maschino).
The field of 11 jumped cleanly, and as expected Comfort Me went to the front with Holly Watson keeping him well in check. The pace was moderate at best in the early part of the race. Pike had Watch Me Rock nicely positioned behind the leader, with Magnificent Andy to his outside.
Last year's Perth Cup runner up Diamond Scene (So You Think) was sent forward by Christian Johnston-Porter to sit just off Comfort Me in second, with the Cup winner Hemlock Stone (Dalghar) not far behind him. Bonjoy was back near last and covering ground.
Comfort Me gradually wound up the pace - and as they turned for home Holly gave the old boy free rein.
The evergreen 9yo kicked away as Pike and Watch Me Rock, full of running, looked to angle out and make their move - but Diamond Scene wasn't dropping away!
On the contrary, the son of Son You Think was full of running.
Watch Me Rock was pocketed on the rail as Comfort Scene fought hard to hold off the resuming stayer - but he was just too strong.
Diamond Scene in full flight charged past Comfort Me in the shadows of the post to win by just under a length, with Pike and Watch Me Rock finding clear air at the last moment and lunging into third place.
The Eurythmic Stakes winner is exempt from any ballot for WA's famous G1 Railway Stakes in six weeks time.
Owner - breeder Bob Peters was asked after the race if keeping the lightly raced Diamond Scene fresh, and sending him into the Railway without another run, might be an option.
Bob doesn't give much away, replying simply with a bit of a grin, “he might do”.
Peters and trainer Michael Grantham will no doubt give this idea serious thought, because the handsome Diamond Scene is both a very good fresh horse and a stakes winner at 1800m.
Diamond Scene is a homebred for Bob and Sandra Peters and is out of the stakes placed Zabeel mare Jewelled.
Now retired from breeding duties, Jewelled was bred in NZ by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan in partnership with Bloomsbury Stud.
All her seven foals to race have been winners, with Diamond Scene's WA 1,000 Guineas winning half sister Adornment (Medaglia d'Oro) her other black type earner.
Adornment is retained by Peters Investments. Her 2022 colt by Wootton Bassett named Arrangement recently placed in a Lark Hill Trial, and she has two colts on the ground by St Mark's Basilica.
Six year old Diamond Scene has now won 9 of his 18 lifetime starts. This was his first Group win, but the talented galloper collected two Listed victories in the Luckygray and A.T.A Stakes last season before his gallant G2 Perth Cup second.
He advances his earnings to $753,133, and the patiently handled gelding looks set for a great summer campaign sporting the famous cerise and white colours of his owner/breeders.
Diamond Scene is bred
Northern Dancer 4m,5m x 5m,5m
Blue Hen Special 5f x 5m sex balanced
Round Table 5f x 5f
He is bred on So You Think's most prolific nick, that formed with mighty Zabeel.
30 winners and 7 Stakes winners are bred on this cross.
Think It Over, Nimalee, Midnight Blue, Asathought, Political Debate, Diamond Scene and current Melbourne Cup fancy Revelare.
So You Think's G1 Stradbroke Hcp winner Think About It also had Zabeel as his second damsire!
Diamond Scene and Revelare are two of four stakes winners of the 25/26 season for Coolmore's champion son of High Chaparral.
Diamond Scene hails from a most illustrious female line.
His second dam, the winning Chief's Crown daughter Tbaareeh is a very close relation to the champion sire and very influential broodmare sire Grand Lodge.
Grand Lodge descends from Filligrana and Tbaareeh from her half sister Good As Gold, the two of them being progeny of GB Champion 2YO Filly Gamble In Gold.
But Tbaareeh is even more closely related to champion sire Tavistock.
Tbaareeh's dam Eye Drop by Irish River was one of several stakes winning daughters from
Pushy (Sharpen Up) - a G2 Royal Ascot winner and placed in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes.
Pushy was a half sister to Pedestal (Reform), the grand dam of Tavistock.
Interestingly, that son of Montjeu was a great sprinter himself - and has sired G1 sprinter milers like Ceowulf as well as the top class stayers you'd expect with his pedigree.
Tavistock x Zabeel has given us G1 winners like Werther, Snazzytavi, Tarzino, Pinarello, Toffee Tongue and Johnny Get Angry.
Diamond Scene's dam Jewelled is also a close relation to Bart Cumming's grand old G2 winning stayer Precedence - who earned more than $2m on the track, ran in four Melbourne Cups and finished top 10 in three of them!
There is a lovely nick formed with Diamond Scene's sex balanced linebreeding to Blue Hen Special - her dam Thong is bred on very similar lines to Mrs Moss, the sixth dam of Diamond Scene.
Diamond Scene is also linebred to Sharpen Up, and sex balanced to his damsire Rockefella.
Linebreeding to Secretariat / Sir Gaylord is another feature of this pedigree, while So You Think's sixth damsire, the legendary Foxbridge, is from the wider family of Diamond Scene himself.
Diamond Scene is a classy stayer but he’s also a very dangerous fresh performer - will connections consider a Railway tilt?
10x G1 winner So You Think stands at Coolmore, and offers outstanding value at a fee of $44,000
