Diane Glory For Kingman's Sparkling Plenty

Up in trip for Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly, Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois's Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}–Speralita {Fr}, by Frankel {GB}) edged another close-run affair in a French Classic in 2024. Held up at the back early by Tony Piccone, the 15-1 shot had to pass runners all quickening off a moderate tempo, but had miling speed which set her apart from her middle-distance rivals. With virtually every rival still to get by two out, the Patrice-Cottier-trained bay who had won the G2 Prix de Sandringham here a fortnight earlier at least had clear daylight to do so.

Responding with a surge to get to the front 100 metres from the finish, she prevailed in a desperate finale between four fillies, with a head margin to spare over the Nicolas Clement-trained 26-1 outsider Survie (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) as Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and Aventure (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) ended up half a length behind, separated by a head for third and fourth. Dubois now faces a quandary, with Sparkling Plenty catalogued to be sold as lot 11 in the Goffs London Sale on Monday.

Cottier said of the winner, whose dam is a half-sister to the 2009 Prix de Diane heroine Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), “I have no words. It is just unbelievable. My thoughts are with Christian Demuro, who got hurt last week and couldn't ride, but Tony was perfect today. It is a pleasure to train for a top owner-breeder like Jean-Pierre Dubois. Last year we had Sauterne, this year Sparkling Plenty. He is such a great horseman. You learn from him everyday.”

Sparkling Plenty, who won both her 2-year-old starts including the Listed Prix Delahante at Marseille-Borely in October, had returned with purpose by registering a clear-cut success in this track's Prix du Coeur des Princes conditions event on the Polytrack in February. Third on heavy ground in the Listed Prix la Camargo at Saint-Cloud in March and fifth in the G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp the following month, she had run with real credit when sixth after a troubled passage in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches back at the latter venue the following month.

Buoyed by her confidence-restoring and emphatic win in the Sandringham, the homebred who had not made her reserve at the 2022 Arqana Deauville August Sale was able to use her explosive acceleration to real effect here. Recording an impressive 34.83 for her closing three furlongs, she satisfyingly ran the fastest overall split to land the killer blow in the penultimate furlong of 11.21, with only Aventure getting close to that before feeling the effects in the closing stages.

Survie, who beforehand looked one of the race's more exposed types having been third in the G2 Prix Saint-Alary, upped her game markedly and owner Gerard Augustin-Normand's representative John Hammond was not surprised. “It is frustrating to lose by so little, but this the sport and there is only one winner. She had a great trip and there was just one too good,” he said.

David Menuisier had no excuses for Tamfana, who enjoyed the perfect trip and managed a placing in a Classic this time having just failed in the 1,000 Guineas. “She ran her heart out,” he said. “She had every chance and she has done the hard work at the front there. I'm proud because she did what she could, but obviously disappointed as well because she looked like the winner. I think she showed more kick over a mile than she did here and I may have got this one wrong, but we can correct that later on.”

Gutsy performance!

Sparkling Plenty shows a decisive turn of foot to get up down the outside and score in the G1 Prix de Diane at @fgchantilly for @piccone_tony! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Mljof2A22U

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 16, 2024

Pedigree Notes

Sparkling Plenty, who becomes the 12th group 1 winner for her sire, is currently the last known foal out of the unraced Speralita (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose son Noble Truth (Fr) also by Kingman captured the G3 Jersey S. and was runner-up in the G1 Grand Criterium. Her aforementioned half-sibling Stacelita won five other races at the highest level other than this Classic and was champion grass mare following her exploits in the Beverly D and Flower Bowl Invitational. She went on to produce three stakes winners headed by the G1 Yushun Himba and G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies-winning Japanese champion Soul Stirring (Jpn) by Speralita's sire Frankel and is also the second dam of another Yushun Himba-winning champion in Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) who also took the G1 Oka Sho.

Speralita and Stacelita are out of the Listed Kronimus-Rennen scorer and G3 Prix des Reservoirs runner-up Soignee (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), whose other unraced daughter Salicorne (Aragorn {Ire}) is responsible for the owner's surprise G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Sauterne (Fr) again by Kingman. This is also the family of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden heroine Sunny Queen (Ger) (Camelot {GB}) and the G1 Commonwealth Cup runner-up Flaming Rib (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), with this being the dam line of the legendary German champion and foundation mare Schwarzgold (Ger).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE DIANE LONGINES-G1, €1,000,000, Chantilly, 6-16, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT, 2:07.64, g/s.
1–SPARKLING PLENTY (FR), 126, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
     1st Dam: Speralita (Fr), by Frankel (GB)
     2nd Dam: Soignee (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
     3rd Dam: Suivez (Fr), by Fioravanti
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€600,000 RNA Ylg '22 ARQAUG). O/B-Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois (FR); T-Patrice Cottier; J-Tony Piccone. €571,400. Lifetime Record: 8-5-0-1, €716,750. *Full to Noble Truth (Fr), GSW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, $275,141. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Survie (Ire), 126, f, 3, Churchill (Ire)–Sotteville (Fr), by Le Havre (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Franklin Finance SA (IRE); T-Nicolas Clement. €228,600.
3–Tamfana (Ger), 126, f, 3, Soldier Hollow (GB)–Tres Magnifique (Fr), by Zoffany (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€20,000 Ylg '22 BBASEP). O-Quantum Leap Racing VIII & Friends; B-Gestut Etzean & H H Rodenburg (GER); T-David Menuisier. €114,300.
Margins: HD, HF, HD. Odds: 14.70, 26.00, 4.40.
Also Ran: Aventure (Ire), Dare To Dream (Fr), Bubble Gum (Fr), Birthe (Ire), Candala (Fr), Gala Real (Fr), L'Equilibriste (Fr), Rock'n Swing (GB), Halfday (Fr), Paraiba (Fr), Dance Sequence (GB). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.