Skye Diamonds Continues to Rise in Rancho Bernardo

The Cinderella story of Skye Diamonds just keeps getting better and better.

A $40,000 claim by trainer Bill Spawr back in August of 2016—for an ownership group that includes Allen Racing, Bloom Racing, Tom Acker, and Jon Lindo—the California-bred First Dude  filly found the winner's circle for the sixth time since with her second straight graded score in the $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3) at Del Mar.

Although she faced a short field once again following her win in the July 8 Great Lady M. Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos Race Course, the group of challengers in the Rancho Bernardo also featured quality.

Grade 1 winner Constellation, who finished second in the Great Lady M., again played runner-up, but looked to have control as the field turned for home.

Longshot Rockport Babe rushed up from the inside to take the early lead and set fractions of :22.46 and :45.26 through a half-mile, while Constellation got the perfect stalking trip on the outside of the frontrunner and momentarily kicked away from Skye Diamonds—who raced in third—as Rockport Babe tired in the turn.

"She was blocked on the rail. They had her pinned in there and I was worried if she would get out in time," Spawr said. "Once she got out, though, she's amazing. She just wants to win—wants to beat you. She overcomes things, and these are good fillies she's running against."

Another longshot, Munny Spunt, even headed Skye Diamonds in the turn, as jockey Tiago Pereira went to work on his filly, favored at 4-5.

"We had to look for a good spot to position her, but I felt confident all the way around," Pereira said. "When I asked her to run in the lane, she was there. She's a nice one and she ran really well today."

Constellation still held a 1 1/2-length lead with a furlong to run, but was no match in the final stages for the second straight try. Skye Diamonds blew by and won by 1 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:15.95 for 6 1/2 furlongs.

"In the stretch, when I was on the lead, I thought I was going to get there," said Constellation's jockey, Flavien Prat. "But that other filly came running."

Last-out Desert Stormer Stakes (G3) winner Bendable, who went off as the 2-1 second choice, trailed the field of five early and made a wide move late in the turn, but never threatened the top two in the stretch and finished another 3 1/4 lengths back in third. Munny Spunt and Rockport Babe completed the order of finish.

"She did a belly flop out there," said Bendable's jockey, Mike Smith. "Then she couldn't really catch up."

Bred by Dizney Double Diamond, out of the Johannesburg mare Exonerated, Skye Diamonds now has nine wins from 16 starts and $509,150 in earnings.  

Spawr said earlier in the week that Skye Diamonds would likely train up to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) back at Del Mar, rather than run a race in between.