The winner of the 163rd Henkel Prize of Diana is called Palmas. The three-year-old mare from the Weil-Daßbach family’s Etzean stud prevailed over 15 competitors in the 500,000 euro race. The 47-year-old jockey Eduardo Pedroza sat in the saddle, the horse is trained by Andreas Wöhler in Gütersloh.
Gestut Etzean’s unbeaten 3-year-old filly Palmas (Ger) (Lord of England (Ger) posted a half-length success in her May 16 debut going one mile at Hannover and doubled her tally when upped to 10 1/2 furlongs for Dusseldorf’s June 19 Listed Diana-Trial in her only other start. Sent postward as the 9-2 second favorite back over the same strip for Sunday’s 163rd
Shaken up to force an opening for her challenge passing the quarter-mile marker, Palmas was soon in command and lengthened clear in impressive fashion to hit the line six lengths ahead of G2 Derby Italiano fourth Isfahani (Ger) (Isfahan . Last term’s G3 Preis der Winterkonigin victrix Noble Heidi (Fr) was a length adrift in third.
Watch Henkel Prize of Diana
Preis der Diana History
The Preis der Diana is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Düsseldorf over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in early August. It is also know as the German Oaks
The event was established in 1857, and it was originally contested at Tempelhof over 2,000 metres. It was transferred to Hoppegarten in 1868. The race was staged at Grunewald for a short period after World War I, and it returned to Hoppegarten in 1923. It was abandoned in 1945 and 1946, and it took place at Düsseldorf in 1947. It began a long period at Mülheim in 1948.
The present system of race grading was introduced in Germany in 1972, and the Preis der Diana was initially classed at Group 2 level. Its distance was extended to 2,100 metres in 1973, and to 2,200 metres in 1977.
The Preis der Diana was promoted to Group 1 status in 2001. It was held at Hamburg in 2004 and 2005, and it moved to Düsseldorf in 2006. It was switched to early August in 2008, having taken place previously in late May or early June.