ACE OF DIAMONDS COMES UP TRUMPS

Favourite is too good in Group 3 S'pore 3YO Sprint, hands Queiroz first Kranji feature win

- Michael Lee

For the longest time, Bestseller was the Javiers' original marquee horse, their first Singapore Group winner.

The Filipino owners can now count on another drawcard, Ace Of Diamonds, who notched their third big prize in the $110,000 Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1,200m) on April 6.

Bestseller's seconds in all three legs of the 2023 Singapore 3YO Challenge are well documented, but Ace Of Diamonds made up for it right off the bat at his very first stab at 3YO glory.

South African trainer Ricardo Le Grange who also prepared Bestseller to land the 2023 Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes (1,700m) and 2024 Group 3 Committee's Prize (1,600m) had long complimented Bestseller as a horse who was long overdue for an elite win.

Similar praise was heaped on Ace Of Diamonds after he came off a less than trouble-free journey to still put his peers to the sword in the first 3YO feature of the season.

"What more can I say? He's probably as good as I thought he is," said Le Grange.

"To Sandy and Karen (Javier), they're great patrons of the game. They deserve such a smart horse."

With Ace Of Diamonds scoring three wins between 1,200m and 1,400m from Restricted Maiden to Class 4, through Novice grade, Patrick Shaw's former right-hand man soon cottoned on to the son of Swiss Ace as his 2024 3YO redemption ticket from Bestseller's narrow misses.