The Diana (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
July 13, 2024

There was so much to like about the running of the Diana given the quality of horses that were taking part in it. It would take a field of this high caliber for a filly like Poetic Panther to go off as a 13/1 longshot despite riding a three-race winning streak. That streak is now at four, after what is truly the biggest victory of her career up to this point. It was a close finish with some of the greats of her game being right there with her at the wire in the form of Demanding Commander, La Terrifiant and Painville, but Poetic Panther gets the job done! She is trained by Maletto and was ridden by Jam Rodriguez. For each, it is their first win in the Diana. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:45.36, the second fastest in the history of the race. Only A Little Oblivion, in 2011, was a faster winner. Let’s take a look at this race now:

(½ Mile- :46.24)- Two-time Diana winner, La Terrifiant, is sent out to the race lead for Smokey Stover, and she quickly opens up an approximate two length advantage while rounding the clubhouse turn and entering the backstretch. Demanding Commander runs second by herself for Mb Stables, and right behind her is the eventual winner of the race, Poetic Panther, from Maletto. Behind her, we see our first bit of side-by-side racing as Mo Mentum Farm’s Painville and D J C Racing Stables’ Liberty Lake battle for fourth. Camus (Mo Mentum Farm) is a length behind them. Further back, Techfluence High (The Sidley Stud) and Starting Over (TwinTowersRacing) run together, and the trailer is Lady Hilltopper (Black N Gold Stable).

(3/4 Mile- 1:09.69)- Not much is different in how the horses at the front of the pack, as the top three are still single file. La Terrifiant continues to hold her lead, which is a length and a half, on Demanding Commader, while Poetic Panther runs right behind that one. Painville and Liberty Lake continue to be side by side for fourth, and it is only behind them where we starting to see someone making a move. That will be Techfluence High, as she moves to the outside of both Camus and Starting Over. She hadn’t passed them yet but appeared to have those intentions at this point. Lady Hilltopper is still at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.6F To Go)- La Terrifiant has no difficulty handling the turn, and now will move into the stretch still holding her lead. No one has really mounted a serious charge on her yet as she looks for her third Diana win. Demanding Commander makes up a little ground on her, and a little further back, for now Painville was looking a little more exciting than Poetic Panther was. Poetic Panther was running on the outside and certainly holding her own, but Painville was now within a half-length of her as she leaves Liberty Lake behind. Starting Over was next, and the run that Techfluence looked like she might take in the turn would never materialize. Lady Hilltopper had passed Camus but had a lot more work to do.

(Finish- 1:45.36)- With a furlong to go, La Terrifiant was clinging to her lead but was going to give it everything she had. Demanding Commander was within a length now and Poetic Panther and Painville were now running evenly. That’s enough for Poetic Panther, since she had a half-length cushion on that one. With a half furlong to go, Demanding Commander had taken the lead, but would not be first for long as Poetic Panther also responded with more run. Painville was not done yet, and the four of these looked like they would hit the wire together. Poetic Panther would prevail, extending her winning streak to four and picking the biggest victory of her career. It took a photo, but she won by a head over Demanding Commander with La Terrifiant running third. Painville was within a length in fourth, and fifth would be last year’s winner, Starting Over, who hit her best stride too late. Behind them, it’s Techfluence High, Lady Hilltopper, Liberty Lake and Camus.

About The Winner- Poetic Panther, trained by Maletto and ridden to victory by Jam Rodriguez, is a four-year-old filly by Lil Pink Panther and is out of the late Poetic Dancer. She was bred by Two Hearts One Love in Florida as a first quarter two-year-old, and was acquired by Maletto, via Mb Stables, for $19.050 in the September 2022 auction. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her ninth in 20 starts, her fifth stake win and fourth graded win. Her career earnings are now $883.520.

Track: Firm
Time: :46¹  1:09³  1:33²  1:45¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 7 – 8 Paid 96.00
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 8 – 9 Paid 275.70

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES