Untamed Diamond headed to Group One

Untamed Diamond has taken her Australian form home to New Zealand to win her first Listed race and earn a crack at Group One level.

The winner of three races in Sydney and a close runner-up to Bidii Babe in the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes (1200m) in Brisbane in May, Untamed Diamond took out Saturday’s Legacy Lodge Sprint at Te Rapa.

Trainer Richard Collett, who operated a satellite stable at Warwick Farm for about a year, said the mare would be entered for the Group One Railway Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.

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“It was a nice effort. She was all the better for her first-up run,” Collett told NZ Racing Desk.

“She’ll definitely be nominated for the Railway now and I’ll go home and work out how we get her there.”

He had originally intended to send Untamed Diamond to Christchurch for Wednesday’s Group Three Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton, but had a change of heart after she was unplaced first-up.

“She looked a bit rough changing legs and I was bit perturbed about going down there to run on a firm track so we stayed closer to home and it’s worked out well,” Collett said.