Ethical Diamond Sets Course Record in BC Turf Win

The fact that a European won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) was hardly a surprise. The shock was which Euro reached the wire first. The prime candidates were Minnie Hauk (IRE), a 3-year-old filly who was second in the famed Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) and was the 3-2 favorite, and the gallant 7-year-old gelding Rebel's Romance (IRE), the 2-1 second choice and $14.4 million earner who was seeking a record third Turf victory. And turning for home Nov. 1 at Del Mar, it looked like the duo would decide the outcome. Then, from out of the clouds, came a jumper who overcame every hurdle in front of him and drew clear for a decisive victory. In the end, the sixth straight foreign winner of the Turf turned out to be an improbable 27-1 shot named Ethical Diamond (IRE), who broke from post 14 and was competing in hurdle races earlier in the year. "This is huge," trainer Willie Mullins said. "To train a horse that is 25-1 and to win unexpectedly at a big festival like this, they're the fun ones. You win the ones when you're favored in, they're not fun. They're just relief. So, I'm really enjoying this. This is fun against the odds. What a race to win. It's a huge improvement." Both of the H O S Syndicate's 5-year-old's last two races were victories on the flat in an Aug. 23 handicap at York Racecourse and the June 20 Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot. Yet Mullins, England's premier steeplechase trainer, said four hurdle races from December through April helped to relax Ethical Diamond and set the stage for the Awtaad (IRE) gelding's initial graded/group stakes win. "He's a very keen horse, and I often find jumping settles them down and teaches them not to over race," said Mullins, the all-time leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival and winner of the world-famous Grand National Steeplechase in England the last two years. "But I think it settles them down and teaches them to relax in the race whereas a lot of flat racing horses, they're taught to run over 6, 7 furlongs, a mile, and they're out and gone. This fellow was losing his races doing that early on. He wanted to go all the time. "Hurdles just make him think. Now he jumps out and he's waiting for a hurdle to come out on the track. Halfway down, he goes, oh, okay, this isn't a hurdle race. We have a hood on him as well. It's all about settling him down. That's the jockey's job as well." Ethical Diamond definitely was settled in the early stages of the Turf as he and jockey Dylan McMonagle were 13th in the field of 14 after 91-1 shot Silawi (IRE) cruised on the front end through fractions of :23.22 and :47.53. Minnie Hauk moved from eighth to third after a mile in 1:37.04 and the filly surged to the front at the top of the stretch. Behind her, Godolphin's Rebel's Romance was third early, then lacked a clear lane on the final turn until he squeezed through horses and took aim at Minnie Hauk. The homebred son of Dubawi (IRE) collared the tiring filly who fell back to sixth but no sooner did he grab a short lead than Ethical Diamond jumped into contention. While rallying five wide on the final turn, Ethical Diamond ($57.40) was still 10th at the quarter pole, but flew home like a rocket in the stretch, flying past Rebel's Romance late to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths in a track-record 2:25.45. "My assistant trainer, David Casey, came up with this plan (after he was not allowed to compete in the Melbourne Cup). He said let's go for the Breeders' Cup. I thought why not? We're not going to try to win it. We'll come over here to finish fifth or sixth hopefully. When I saw the entries and our draw at 14, I said maybe sixth or seventh or eighth. Then when (Gstaad) won from 14 yesterday, that gave me a little bit more confidence that it can be done. If you can do it over a mile, mile and a half, it should be easy." Rebel's Romance was second by three-quarters of a length over Godolphin stablemate El Cordobes (IRE), a Frankel (GB) gelding who won the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course. "Both ran well," said Charlie Appleby, who trains both geldings. "I'm just glad Willie Mullins doesn't train too many flat horses. A little bit of (traffic) for Rebel's Romance, but in fairness I don't think it made that much of a difference." The win was the fifth in 15 lifetime starts as Ethical Diamond's earnings jumped to $3,121,001. He was bred by Mr. W. J. Kennedy out of the Areion mare Pearl Diamond. When Mullins and bloodstock agent Harold Kirk purchased Ethical Diamond for $434,517 at the 2023 Tattersalls July Sale, he promised the breeder he would get some black type for the horse. Mullins kept his word... and then some. "The breeder, who's not here today, when he sold him to me... Well, I didn't exactly rob him at the price that we paid, but he was worried could I get him some black type? Maybe placed on the list, and I promised him I would," Mullins said. "I think we overdelivered, but I'm sure he'd be delighted."