Jamie Mott excited by My Gladiola after runaway Blue Diamond Preview win

Well-bred filly My Gladiola gave Jamie Mott a much easier time in her dominant win in the Blue Diamond Preview after his ride in the colts and geldings race had his mind elsewhere.

My Gladiola storms to victory in the Blue Diamond Fillies Preview for jockey Jamie Mott at Sandown. Picture: Pat Scala/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Jockey Jamie Mott faced a vast contrast of equine behaviour in the space of 35 minutes in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Previews at Sandown.

Mott rode the Gavin Bedggood-trained Yamashita’s Gold in the colts and geldings Preview but faced a battle to get the two-year-old out of the mounting yard.

Yamashita’s Gold’s mind was on the fillies as the colt paraded his wares for all to see pre-race but the youngster showed his talent when managing to run second to the Lindsay Park-trained Shining Smile.

“There’s a rodeo on in Mornington tonight at 4.30 and I thought I might have come to the wrong place,” Mott joked.

“Being a colt at his first trip away from home, he just got a bit above himself.

“The way he behaved pre-race and got a check coming into the corner, he still ran second.

“He’s a horse to follow with a bright future.”

Mott had a much easier time aboard the John McArdle-trained My Gladiola in the fillies’ Preview.

McArdle paid $550,000 for My Gladiola, who is closely related to former star two-year-old Rory’s Jester and is a daughter of Group 2-winning two-year-old Villa Verde.

Impressive win by My Gladiola in the Blue Diamond Preview for Fillies 🤩@jamieleemottpic.twitter.com/DmK7uIefsL

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) January 25, 2025

The Mornington trainer could recoup his investment in a matter of weeks after My Gladiola ($5.50) shot to the top of Blue Diamond Stakes betting with her emphatic win over the well-supported pair Price Tag ($5.50) and Wiltshire Square ($4.80).

Mott said the I Am Invincible filly had immediately impressed him but added My Gladiola still had plenty of improvement in her.

“I’m really excited by her and I have been for quite a while,” Mott said.

“She’s the real deal.

“She jumps well, she travels well, she’s sensible and she doesn’t overdo it.

“She’s only had two jumpouts so there’s still so much more improvement to come.”

Earlier, Shining Smile had the benefit of race experience to win the colts and geldings’ Preview.

Shining Smile was too good in the Blue Diamond Preview for Colts & Geldings 💪@[e-mail]/C3lpQT6Azp

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) January 25, 2025

Shining Smile was the only one of the six runners to have previously raced with the racecraft proving the difference.

“You could see he’d had three starts,” Ben Hayes, who trains Shining Smile in partnership with his brothers Will and JD, said.

“He’s the ultimate professional but it was a small field today with a heap of horses on debut.

“We’ll get a better guide to how good that race is in a couple of weeks when these horses run again but he’s done everything right.”

Originally published as Jamie Mott excited by My Gladiola after runaway Blue Diamond Preview win