Diademe (NZ) can rebound from a disappointing last-start failure when she faces the starter in the G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha on Saturday.

Diademe (4m Savabeel – Bling by O’Reilly) had won the G3 Westbury Classic at Ellerslie during Auckland Cup week before running the worst race of her career in the G2 Japan Trophy last Saturday week.

The Cambridge based mare had never missed a place in 8 starts prior to finishing 12 of 14 at Tauranga.  A vet examination revealed she was “mildly lame in the right hind leg” but co-trainer Andrew Forsman reports she showed no signs of it in the days after the race.

“Our vet gave her the all-clear to continue training and she’s been as good as gold.  I’m not too sure what she did – whether she just strained something slightly – or maybe it was the shifty track.

“Her work is as good as ever, so hopefully that was just a glitch.  She had two days off after that race and since then it’s been business as usual.”

Diademe’s win in the Westbury Classic showed she was up with the best mares in the country and Forsman said the stable was simply taking the approach that her Tauranga failure was best forgotten.  “We were really happy with her going into that race, so we just have to press ahead like normal.”

In the Westbury Classic, she beat home Fleur de Lune (Stravinsky), Amberio (Captain Rio), Kekova (Elusive City) and Xanadu (Elusive City) – four mares who rate among the hardest to beat in Saturday’s weight-for-age feature for fillies and mares.

Diademe was a $50,000 buy for agent Scott Richardson at the 2010 NZB Karaka yearling sale.  Her dam Bling in an unraced half-sister to LR Eagle Farm Stakes winner Plaudits (Danasinga).