Another Qatar Prix du Jockey Club / Prix de Diane Longines Double for Irish Trainer Aidan O’Brien
The overwhelming favourite for the Prix de Diane Longines, Diamond Necklace, did not have things all her own way on Sunday at Chantilly. She had to fight hard over the final 300 metres to get the better of French outsider Pink Panthera.
As the stalls opened, Wayne Lordan immediately set a strong pace aboard Moments of Joy, allowing her to take up the running from the outset and ensuring a searching gallop—one that was expected to produce a natural selection and play into the hands of her stablemate Diamond Necklace. However, drawn widest of all in stall 11, the remarkable Esna challenged for the lead from the outside, forcing an already strong pace to become even more relentless. Meanwhile, Marseille-trained Pink Panthera, slow away from the gates, struggled to keep up, requiring Tony Piccone to ride her along for the first 500 metres.
Esna eventually relinquished the lead, leaving Moments of Joy to dictate alone. Inis Mor then moved into an ideal stalking position, tucked in just behind the two front-running fillies.
Turning into the straight, Inis Mor swept past the pacesetters as they began to tire and made a decisive move along the rail. For a moment, victory seemed within her grasp. But danger was looming on the outside.
First came Diamond Necklace, whose jockey Ryan Moore elected to angle out into the centre of the track to obtain a clear run, even at the cost of losing a few positions. Then came Pink Panthera, also making her challenge wide, surging from last place to draw level with Diamond Necklace in only a matter of strides.
As Inis Mor began to weaken and her dream of victory faded, Pink Panthera struck the front ahead of Diamond Necklace. Yet the Irish filly, silencing any doubts about her stamina, rallied again in the centre of the track and secured victory in the final strides.
Run at a furious pace, with exceptional sectional times—particularly in the early stages—this edition saw Diamond Necklace clock 2:03.78, missing the race record held by the champion Trêve since 2013 by just one hundredth of a second.
Nevertheless, she enters racing history in another way by becoming only the fifth filly to complete the prestigious Marcel Boussac–Poule d’Essai des Pouliches–Prix de Diane treble (*).
Diamond Necklace was bred in France, in Normandy, by Écurie des Monceaux (Henri Bozo). Sold as a yearling through the Deauville-based auction house Arqana, she fetched a record €1.7 million.
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien captured his second Prix de Diane Longines, following the victory of Joan of Arc in 2021.
Having already won last week’s Qatar Prix du Jockey Club with Constitution River, O’Brien also completed his second Prix de Diane / Prix du Jockey Club double, after achieving the feat in 2021 with Joan of Arc and St Mark’s Basilica. Notably, St Mark’s Basilica is the sire of Diamond Necklace.
This success also gives Aidan O’Brien an extraordinary seventh spring Classic victory (out of a possible ten) across France, England and Ireland this season. In 2026, he has won the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas, the English 1,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, and now the Prix de Diane Longines. A remarkable record.
(*) Previous fillies to complete the Marcel Boussac–Poule d’Essai des Pouliches–Prix de Diane treble: Allez France, Divine Proportions, Zarkava and Blue Rose Cen.
Official Result
1st DIAMOND NECKLACE (R.-L. Moore)
2nd PINK PANTHERA (T. Piccone)
3rd INIS MOR (O. Murphy)
Time: 2:03.78. Margins: Short Neck – 2 – 1.
Quotes from the connections
Aidan O’Brien, trainer of Diamond Necklace (1st), Ireland
“This victory belongs to everyone: Michael and Doreen Tabor, John and Sue Magnier, and all the people who make this possible!
We have always believed she possessed tremendous class. She was unbeaten last year. Ryan gave her a wonderful ride in the Guineas this season, just as he did today. She is very straightforward to train. She is a lot like her sire, St Mark’s Basilica. She is uncomplicated, very kind, and naturally talented.
Ryan was outstanding and very clever. The race became a little messy, but he understood her perfectly. It is possible that she could return for an Arc trial before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
At home, she is exactly the same: she does not like being in front for too long and never gives everything away too early. No matter what distance she works over, she comes there easily and then waits. We already felt there was a good chance she would stay 2,400 metres, but you have to be patient with her.
Personally, I believe she is more inclined to wait for the others than she is limited by stamina. Today, she was not really slowing down at the finish. If you watch her stride, it remained long all the way to the line. Usually, when a horse does not stay the trip, its stride shortens. That was absolutely not the case today. Her action remained fluent and expansive right to the finish, which is generally a very positive sign.
She did not even need to catch her breath significantly after the race. All of this suggests that she was waiting rather than tiring. What comes next will depend on what else we learn about her. It is entirely possible that she could return in an Arc trial, but we will see. For now, we are simply going to take our time with her.
She is very easy to train and does not require a great deal of work. We will not rush her. Everything is coming naturally to her at the moment. We will try to follow the same programme, but we are in no hurry to run her again.”
Derrick Smith, co-owner of Diamond Necklace (1st), Ireland
“This victory means a great deal when you travel to a racecourse and witness a performance like that. Watching the replay, you can see that she still had to overcome a slight setback during the race. Despite that, she showed tremendous quality and even looks capable of improving further on what she achieved today.
It is a special day, and we would like to warmly thank all the sponsors. The organisation of this meeting is outstanding, and it is always a real pleasure to come here.
The way she finished her race was very impressive. And, as is often the case in this sport, the journey home is much more enjoyable when you are returning with a winner.”
Ryan Moore, jockey of Diamond Necklace (1st), Ireland
“I couldn’t be happier with her. She did everything perfectly. She has an exceptional mind. She broke well and was always exactly where I needed her to be.
We just had a small issue around the bend when two fillies came back towards us and I had to move a little earlier than I had intended. I think the runner-up briefly got past her, but when I really asked her for an effort for the first time, she started to edge away slightly and wait a little.
But throughout the race, I always felt she was going to win. I am still getting to know her — this was only the second time I have ridden her. She is such a straightforward filly to ride that I feel she only ever does what is necessary.
She oozes class throughout a race. Her professionalism, everything she does during the running, her stride, her balance... She is a top-class filly who travels strongly, quickens easily, understands what is asked of her, and responds immediately.”
Henri Bozo, Managing Director of Écurie des Monceaux, breeder of Diamond Necklace (1st), Calvados
“It is a particularly emotional moment with this first victory in the Prix de Diane as breeders. We had secured several placings over the years, but had never won. This success holds a very special meaning for us. It is the result of many years of hard work.
This victory is the culmination of many years dedicated to this maternal family, which we developed alongside Lady O’Reilly, who was deeply attached to this bloodline. Today, our thoughts are especially with her, as well as with Patricia Boutin, who is following us from the United States.
Beyond the sporting achievement, this success is a reward for the commitment, passion, and perseverance of our entire breeding team.”
Patrice Cottier, trainer of Pink Panthera (2nd), Calas (Bouches-du-Rhône)
“It’s incredible what she achieved today. She has improved with every race. This kind of ground is exactly what she wants. If the ground is much softer, she’s really not comfortable. We genuinely thought she could do it. She was beaten by a filly with much more experience than ours. It’s a wonderful performance. Now we’ll see how she comes out of the race and discuss future plans with the owners.”
Nicolas de Watrigant, representing Alain Jathière, co-owner of Pink Panthera (2nd), Calas (Bouches-du-Rhône)
“I think we all believed in her. She has been managed exceptionally well by her team. We avoided tough battles in the trials and instead ran her against the colts in the Derby du Midi. She put on a remarkable display in Bordeaux. Looking closely, she covered the final 100 metres in 10.47 seconds, reaching a top speed of 71 km/h. We felt that if she recovered well, the Diane would become a realistic target.
There were relatively few runners today, and her main weakness is that she lacks early speed. That’s what cost her the race. She has a huge heart. I could definitely see her over 2,400 metres in the Prix Vermeille, why not? We’ll discuss it further with Mr Jathière, Mr Dubois and Patrice Cottier.
She is a fast-ground filly, so Arc conditions would probably not suit her. We also have her sister at stud for Mr Jathière. It’s a tremendous family—the family of Peintre Célèbre. I’m so pleased for Mr Jathière. He invests enormously in the sport and deserves success. He gives himself every chance to succeed, and I’m delighted to advise him on a daily basis.”
David Menuisier, trainer of Inis Mor (3rd), England
“She enjoyed a perfect trip. Today we really wanted to assess her true level before deciding on future plans. Oisin [Murphy] feels that with a little rain she might have gone even closer. We were beaten by very good fillies.
We now need to decide whether she remains around 2,000 metres or steps up to 2,400 metres. She will stay at Group 1 level. We’ve always believed she was capable of competing at the highest level, and she confirmed that today.
There are several possibilities. Obviously she won’t run in all of them, but options include the Nassau Stakes (Group 1), the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet (Group 1), the Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1), or the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Group 1).”
Vincent Nicolato, co-owner of Habibi (4th), Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
“Honestly, before the race I expected her to finish fourth or fifth. I had no doubts about her ability to run well. Cristian Demuro told me he enjoyed an ideal trip, tracking the Wertheimer filly and therefore travelling strongly without expending too much energy. When he switched her out, he even thought for a moment that she might be able to win.
I still think she may be just a notch below the very best fillies of her generation. However, she has an enormous heart. She never gives up. When you look at her races and her times, she always delivers. Finishing fourth in the Prix de Diane is a magnificent achievement.
The adventure continues. She is entered in the Group 2 race over 2,400 metres on July 14, which appears the logical next step. We’ll see how she recovers. She recovers remarkably quickly. After the Prix Saint-Alary, just four or five days later, she looked as though she had never run.
The more time passes, the more she improves. She is an extraordinary filly.”
Carlos Lerner, trainer of Evita (5th), Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines)
“The poor draw worked against us. Evita followed the favourite and finished very well, but on such a fast track it was difficult to come from so far back. We will now head towards the Prix de Psyché (Group 3) at Deauville in July.”
The main race of the day, the Longines Prix de Diane, is the second leg of the ARC RACES, a series of eight exceptional races leading up to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, with the winners – provided they meet the race conditions – securing a Wild Card for this autumn’s global showdown.