‘A bit of a weirdo’: King backs Lil to fire

Stakes winner Oh Diamond Lil is “a bit of a weirdo” but having ridden her to her biggest win, jockey Rachel King believes the mare is in the right frame of mind to return to her best in the Mona Lisa Stakes at Wyong.

King combined with the David Pfieffer-trained galloper to capture the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at Newcastle last spring, however, the six-year-old’s subsequent runs have been mixed, and King says that has more to do with the mare’s brain than her body.

“She’s a bit of a weirdo but the guy who has been riding her work has done a really good job with her this ‘prep’,” King said.

“She’s still got her ways about her, but when she’s on the track she has been more relaxed than ever.

“At the moment they’ve got her in a really good headspace and she’s back to firing like she was when I was last winning on her.

“She’s fit and healthy and looks great. She has done plenty of work, she’s had good, solid trials and she’s ready to go.”

Oh Diamond Lil hasn’t raced since finishing a close fourth in the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm in June, but has won both recent trials and boasts a strong record fresh.

King’s Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) mount Bella Montagna is also coming off a Queensland campaign highlighted by a close second to Alalcance in the Premier’s Cup (2400m) and closed out by a fifth behind the same horse in the Brisbane Cup (3200m).

With the benefit of that residual fitness, Bella Montagna is expected to be hard to beat.

“Distance-wise, it’s the right trip for her (first-up) and I’m sure coming from Gai and Adrian’s she’ll be fit enough first-up,” King said.

“She is definitely improving and she has each prep. Even last prep, she improved throughout the whole preparation.

“I was pretty confident going into a Brisbane Cup it would suit her. She probably didn’t quite see out the two miles trying it the first time, but I think she’ll benefit a lot from it and she’s the kind of mare who can get over that trip eventually.

“It will be interesting to see how she’s come back having had that little bit of a break. I think she has probably strengthened up a bit.”

King will be looking for a repeat of 2020 when she captured the Wyong Cup-Mona Lisa Stakes double aboard Paths of Glory and Asiago.