Andreas Suborics is looking forward to joining forces with Vincent Ho, an old friend and rival from his Hong Kong days, when he sends out two Classic contenders in Sunday’s G1 Preis der Diana (2200m) at Dusseldorf, but the trainer faces stiff opposition, notably from the English raider Darnation.
The Karl Burke-trained filly heads into the German Oaks having already bagged the German 1,000 Guineas over a mile at the same track under Adrie de Vries, but she was since second behind an older filly in a 10-furlong Group 3 on the Tapeta at Newcastle. Darnation is one of four overseas contenders in the line-up of 16, but Dancing Rain in 2011 and Miss Yoda in 2020 are the only British-trained winners in the race’s history.
“Darnation showed a lot of class when she won the Guineas, but I think her stamina would be a big question mark at Dusseldorf over 2200 metres, so this is the hope that we can beat her,” said Suborics, who rode for several years in Hong Kong and will saddle Ho’s mount Lady Mary as well as the unexposed Diamond Crown.
Suborics retired from race-riding and switched to training out of Cologne seven years ago. As a jockey the Austrian won the ‘Diana’ in 2004, the same year he rode Shirroco to victory in the German Derby; he took the 2003 German 1,000 Guineas with Diacada and rode Sumitas to win the 1999 German 2,000 Guineas.
“Lady Mary was beaten just a nose in the Group 3 Diana trial in June, but then because she was too fresh at home, I sent her to a Listed race two weeks ago with top-weight,” Suborics told Idol Horse.
Lady Mary placed third behind the re-opposing Diya but Suborics believes that was not a true reflection of her effort.
“It was a very slowly-run race, she came from last and finished well but I just take that race as a fitness exercise for the Diana. She carried almost one and a half kilos more than the others, so I think she ran better than it looks on paper. Her question-mark is also the stamina: 2000 metres is fine for her but the 2200 metres is a little bit of an unknown factor.
“I booked Vincent for her and I’m happy he’s coming over. He has a very good gate with her, gate four, so it looks like we could have the perfect race and then we’ll see if she stays the distance or not.”
Ho is currently taking a working holiday in Europe and has consulted some of his weighing room colleagues for advice about riding in the 16-runner race.
“I’ve been to Hungary, to Budapest for their Oaks, but never to Germany,” Ho said. “The track at Dusseldorf will be something completely different, it’s a tough track according to a few jockeys I’ve spoken to here. Ryan (Moore) told me it’s quite a challenging track: it’s better to be on the inside on the first corner so it’s good that I’m drawn in a low gate.”
Diamond Crown has not been so fortunate though, and must deal with being drawn widest of all when she breaks under Frenchman Hugo Boutin. This will be only the third start of the filly’s career, following a debut win and a good second, beaten a neck in a Hamburg Group 3 over the Diana distance last month.
“Diamond Crown was very unlucky with the gate, she’s drawn in 16 and you need a lot of luck to get a chance from there so we will ride her patiently and hope. She has a lot of class and a lot of stamina but it is only her third race in her life and the gate makes it difficult. If she had an inside gate I would be very confident with her.
“She finished very strongly in her second run in the Group 3, she had the outside gate and she nearly came from last: a few yards more and she would have won the race.”
Suborics has placed his faith in Boutin – his father is the trainer Mathieu Boutin – who has ridden 32 winners in France this year and has sealed a couple of Group 3 successes this term with the trainer’s Best Of Lips.
“I had no jockey for the season and he’s a good young jockey in France who wasn’t getting the chances to ride in Group races, so I talked to him last year and he came for a few rides,” Suborics said.
“We don’t have a lot of jockeys in Germany anymore so that’s why I chose a young jockey from France, because he can improve. He’s still learning but he has given me a few very good rides already this year. He’s young and needs more routine like every young jockey but he has ridden Diamond Crown two times and has done it perfectly, so he knows the filly and he knows the track.”
The overseas raid also features the British-based filly Lingua Franca from Sir Mark Prescott’s stable, French handler Fabrice Chappet’s Bubble Gum, sixth in the French Oaks last time, and from Ireland the Joseph O’Brien-trained Je Zous, the mount of Bauyrzhan Murzabayev.
The home defence also includes the Maxim Pecheur-trained Erle, who defeated Lady Mary so narrowly in the Group 3 Diana Trial.
“Both of my fillies are in good shape, it’s just those questions of stamina for Lady Mary and the gate for Diamond Crown,” Suborics added.
