Diamond Necklace Defeated, Aventure Takes Prix Romanet

Aidan O'Brien was in no rush to draw conclusions about a first career defeat for Diamond Necklace (IRE) in Deauville's Prix Jean Romanet (G1) Aug. 23, other than to hail her top-class conqueror Aventure (IRE). While defeat at odds of 2-5 might suggest there was some huge drop-off in performance after six straight victories—most recently on a first meeting with her elders in the Nassau Stakes (G1)—the four-time group 1 winner encountered Aventure at the top of her game, perhaps equal only to the form that saw her chase Bluestocking (GB) home in the 2024 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), or when dominating her own sex in the Prix Vermeille (G1) last September. "She ran well, but the winner was better than her today," said O'Brien. "We were very happy with her going into the race and the ground was not a concern. "We'll take her home now and see how she comes out of the race." Asked if he thought she might be stepped up to a 1 1/2 miles, O'Brien said simply "she could be," although it should be pointed out that the brilliant daughter of St Mark's Basilica (FR) holds entries in no fewer than 11 group 1s across Britain, Ireland, and France in the coming months, covering every distance between 1 mile and 1 1/2 miles. In those circumstances, O'Brien and the Coolmore brains trust will undoubtedly want to see how their chess pieces come together before committing Diamond Necklace to one or more of those races. Coral doubled her price for the Arc at 16-1, and with Constitution River (FR) now O'Brien's shortest-priced challenger at 12-1, the market for Europe's all-aged middle-distance championship has a curious look to it. The first Sunday in October will be when we next see Aventure, although not in the race she has tackled in the last two seasons. Connections had wanted to drop her back to 1 1/4 miles for the Pretty Polly (G1) in June but were thwarted by fears of travelling her during a heatwave. And for trainer Christophe Ferland, there was a particular flavor to seeing this brilliant daughter of Sea The Stars (IRE) back in the winner's enclosure at the conclusion of a proper group 1 dust-up, especially after suffering the disappointment of seeing her fade out of contention in last season's Arc. Asked how he felt to be the conqueror of Diamond Necklace, Ferland said: "My initial thoughts are that I train an exceptional mare who has already been second in an Arc, who has won a Vermeille, and is a real champion. "Today we were able to bring her back to 2,000 meters (1 1/4 miles) and that has proved to be the right decision. "It's not the same decision we would have taken when she was 3 and it is just that, with time and maturity, she has got stronger and faster. She's in the Arc but will run in the Opera over this trip before heading to the Breeders' Cup if all goes well." If the atmosphere at Longchamp on Arc day is often defined by the visiting racing fans from Britain and Ireland, Deauville retains a distinctly French flavor, and Ferland clearly relished seizing one of the track's biggest prizes, 15 years after Dabirsim gave him a Prix Morny (G1). "An eon ago I won the Morny and now to win this race at Deauville, a place where the public and the whole racing family is present, it's an exceptional moment for me," said Ferland. "When you have a great mare like Aventure, who has won a group 1 and been there at the finish in some of the great races, you always have that slight bitterness if you can't see her pass the post in front again at the highest level. So it's a great satisfaction as well as a relief, and I'm on cloud nine. "The Wertheimer family and (racing manager) Pierre-Yves Bureau are so sporting to keep a mare like her in training and I'm the lucky one, so I must thank them." Diamond Necklace finished two lengths adrift of Aventure and had only a head to spare over another 3-year-old in Timeforshowcasing (GB), who took another step forward following her narrow defeat in a German group 1 last month to be third at 48-1. "I'm over the moon," said Charlie Johnston. "She's danced plenty of dances this year and been well travelled. I'll be honest, I thought we were quite likely biting off a bit more than we could chew coming in against the best fillies in Europe today, but once again she's stepped up to a new level."