Diamondrella transferred to Stevens, headed for Matriarch

Diamondrella’s last win came in the First Lady (EquiSport Photos)

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who never won the prestigious Matriarch S.
(G1) as a rider, will try to win the test as a trainer with DIAMONDRELLA (GB)
(Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) on November 28 at Hollywood Park. The Grade 1-winning
five-year-old was an unexpected addition last week to the Santa Anita barn of
Stevens, who began training in May.

“I got a surprise call early Thursday morning,” Stevens said Sunday from
Santa Anita. “Michael (Iavarone, head of owner IEAH Stables) informed me that
she was coming. It was a big confidence booster.”

Diamondrella was shipped to Kentucky for the Fasig-Tipton Sale after
finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on November 7,
but was bought back by IEAH for $1.1 million and flown back to California by way
of Indianapolis early Friday morning.

The bay mare, based in New York most of the year, enjoyed a banner campaign
under previous trainer Angel Penna Jr., winning three of five starts, including
two Grade 1 races –the Just a Game S. at Belmont and the First Lady S. at
Keeneland. Both victories were at one mile on turf, the same distance as the
Matriarch. Career-wise, the English-bred has won eight of 18 starts and earned
$784,576.