Diamondsandrubies just held on to land the Group 1 at the Curragh

 PICTURE: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos

Diamondsandrubies sparkles in Pretty Polly

DIAMONDSANDRUBIES led from pillar to post putting in a brave performance to hold off a fast-finishing Legatissimo to land the Pretty Polly Stakes under Seamie Heffernan.

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Winner of the Cheshire Oaks earlier this season,Diamondsandrubies had been unlucky in running in the Investec Oaks at Epsom when she suffered interference when finishing fourth, but was kept out of trouble this time and won by a short head.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly was pushed to the front by Heffernan leading the field from very early on with favouriteLegatissimo tucked in just behind the leaders and switched off by Ryan Moore in the early stages.

As the the field approached the final two furlongs Heffernan began to pour on the pressure sending Diamondsandrubies for home very early.

It looked to be too soon as 1,000 Guineas winner and Investec Oaks second Legatissimo began to pick up on the rail, while the James Fanshawe-trained Ribbons was flying down the centre of the course.

But Diamondsandrubies kept finding more and more and was able to gamely hold off the competition to give her trainer Aidan O’Brien a third win the race.

O’Brien said: “She looked very unlucky at Epsom and she’s a good filly. In an ideal world we’d have taken a lead but that wasn’t the way it was. She travelled well and Seamie gave her a great ride – she toughed it out.

“She was getting a mile and a half well at Epsom, Seamie felt that she was probably most inconvenienced by the whole thing and he was looking forward to coming here today with her.”

Heffernan added: “I rode her in Epsom and it didn’t really swing my way. Sometimes Epsom finishes a horse and sometimes the good horses thrive on it, so she’s a good horse. 

“I just wanted to be forward as I knew she would stay well. She’s tough and Aidan trains them to progress from run to run so I’d hope they’ll be more improvement again,” he said.

David Wachman said: “She ran well, they went no pace which didn’t really suit. Ryan (Moore) was happy with her, there were no excuses and we’ll stick to the Nassau Stakes next, that will be our plan I’d imagine.”

There was an eye-catching run from the Ed Walker trained-Mutatis Mutandis, who was supplemented for the race, who badly missed the break and was five lengths off the pace for much of the race. But the four-year-old in the hands of George Baker was able to make up a lot of ground in the closing stages to finish sixth.

Paddy Power responded by making Diamondsandrubies 5-2jf with Curvy for the Darley Irish Oaks.