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Recently-crowned South Island Horse of the Year The Diamond One is used to doing things in her own time and trainer Claire Anderton is happy to let the multiple stakes-winning mare progress at nature’s pace.

“I’m just waiting for her to lose her coat, but she’s not far away now,” the Wingatui horsewoman said.

“She takes a wee bit of time to let her coat go and she did the same thing last year. She’ll let us know when she’s ready.”

The Diamond One enjoyed a lucrative summer and autumn campaign with consecutive Group Three wins in the White Robe Lodge Handicap and the Cuddle Stakes at Trentham.

Her White Robe victory was a particularly poignant one as the race was named in honour of her former trainer and Claire’s late husband Steven, who passed away days before the race after suffering fatal injuries in a stable accident.

The Diamond One hasn’t raced since she was out of the money in the Listed Great Easter Stakes at Riccarton in May and she is progressing toward the New Zealand Cup carnival.

“She’s very well in herself and her work has been good,” Claire Anderton said. “She holds a nomination for the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.

“She would have to come up extra well to go there and we’ve got a couple of other options with her.”

Raced by her breeders the Dennis brothers, The Diamond One has performed well at past cup carnivals with a third in the Listed Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes and she finished fourth in the Gr.1 NZ 1000 Guineas.