Lady Di Carries Whitelock Legacy into Group One Spotlight

The Whitelock name has become synonymous with elite pacing fillies in New Zealand, and this Friday night at Alexandra Park they return to familiar territory with their homebred Lady Di poised as a leading contender in the Group 1 Gallagher Insurance Delightful Lady Classic.

Seven years ago, Braden and Caroline Whitelock stood in the same position with her dam Princess Tiffany, a filly who would go on to dominate her generation on both sides of the Tasman. Now, with another daughter of Captaintreacherous stepping into the spotlight, the sense of occasion is no less significant.

“No, no, it’s very humbling and we’re thrilled that you can have a two-year-old racing, let alone at any level. So there’ll be a lot to prove on this race and even the rest of the two-year-old season because horses, as we all know, change during that first year or two years of age, being fillies particularly.”

“At this stage she looks quite forward, but in six months’ time it can be totally different. There’s a lot of luck involved in racing, but no, of course it’s a thrill.”

That perspective sits at the core of an operation built around patience, and more importantly, a maternal family the Whitelocks have developed and believed in over time.

They raced Dancing Diamonds, a daughter of Bettor’s Delight, in partnership with Phil and Margaret Creighton, before making the mating that would define the next phase of the family.

“We raced Dancing Diamonds as well, and she was a Bettor’s Delight mare and then we decided to go to Art Major to produce Princess Tiffany, and yeah, it’s been great.”

Dancing Diamonds was a racemare of real substance, winning the Group 3 Leonard Memorial and both the two and three-year-old PGG Wrightson Yearling Sales Series Finals, banking $343,000. At stud, she took the family to another level, producing two millionaires.

Her daughter Princess Tiffany became one of the most dominant fillies of her era, while Rock Diamonds, by Rocknroll Hanover, built a remarkable international career, winning around 70 races and more than $1.4 million in North America.

“Even the first foal of Dancing Diamonds, Rock Diamonds, he’s won pretty much 60 or 70 races now, about 1.4 million in America and he’s still racing as a ten or eleven-year-old.”

“It’s not just about the filly line, it’s about the larger families.”

That broader family carries significant depth. Dancing Diamonds is a full sister to Group 1-winning juvenile Ohokas Bondy, winner of the WA Golden Slipper and multiple feature races in Western Australia. Both descend from Asabella, a mare whose progeny were in constant demand through the sales ring across the 2010s.

From there, the line traces directly to New Zealand Derby winner Belajilly, forming a branch that has consistently produced elite performers. While other branches of the family have produced horses such as Jovial Jeanie and Happy Hazel, this particular line has, over time, matched and in many ways exceeded those achievements, rivalled only by the famed Van Glory branch that ultimately led to the Under Cover Lover dynasty.

It is that depth of maternal strength that underpinned the rise of Princess Tiffany.

Unbeaten in six starts at two, she captured the Group 1 Caduceus Club Classic, the Group 1 Harness Jewels Diamond and the Group 1 Australasian Breeders Crown Final, earning both New Zealand and Australian Two-Year-Old Filly of the Year honours. At three, she added four Oaks victories, while also winning the Group 1 Nevele R Fillies Final, before returning as an older mare to claim two further Group 1 victories in Australia.

Now, her daughter Lady Di is beginning to carve her own path.

She debuted on February 6 with a strong second in the opening heat of the series, sitting parked for much of the 1700 metres and finishing within a length of Daisy Bay. A fortnight later she returned to Alexandra Park and dominated from the pole, accounting for Eternal Perfection, who would go on to win the third heat.

Despite drawing barrier seven for Friday night’s final, she sits as the $3.30 favourite in a quality field of juvenile fillies.

Her development has come through attitude and maturity rather than early brilliance.

“To be honest, we had three of that age broken in, and she was probably the most unnatural early on in the first prep. And then she just got better, but her strength’s always been that her nature’s so good.”

“She’s always been so laid back and nothing seems to rattle her. It’s a big-time temperament, and you don’t really want to overdo them when they’re young because they’re only babies really, so the one thing that stuck out about her was her temperament.”

That measured approach extends to how the Whitelocks manage their breeding operation. Having previously built numbers, they have deliberately kept things tight in recent seasons.

That thinking led to the decision to offer the first foal from Princess Tiffany through the Breckon Farms draft in 2024, where the now three-year-old filly, Queen Lizzy, realised $270,000.

“I thought it was a mistake, but anyway… no, it was great and quite surprising and humbling.”

That connection deepens further on Friday night, with the family represented across the card. Queen Lizzy, will line up in the Listed $150,000 Harness Millions 3YO Fillies Final, giving the Whitelocks a rare opportunity to watch two daughters of the same elite mare compete on one of the biggest stages.

Still lightly raced, Queen Lizzy has continued to build a consistent record, her recent fourth in the Group 2 Ladyship Stakes marking her third placing at Group level to go with two wins and two seconds from just twelve starts, suggesting the family strength is continuing to come through.

The naming of the family’s fillies has also taken on a consistent theme.

“Princess Tiffany was after Adam’s wife, and at the wedding her father spoke about his princess, so that’s where the name came from.”

“Then the Queen passed away, so Queen Lizzie came along, and then Lady Di. There’s a bit of a royal link there.”

Beyond the immediate racing team, the next generation is already heavily involved. Sons George, Adam, Sam and Luke have all had strong rugby careers, representing New Zealand and their regions at various levels before spending time overseas, and are now bringing that same competitive edge into racing.

Together, they race Queen Of Troy, a daughter of Captaintreacherous purchased for $110,000 at last year’s Christchurch Yearling Sales, with the Next Gen series firmly in mind.

“I just think it was such a great initiative to support as an industry.”

“I said to the boys, let’s get a filly, mum and dad are going in it, you four sons can go in it, and off we’ve gone on that journey.”

“She’s a beautiful filly. She just got a bit excited with those three false starts the other day, so she’s back home on the farm, but she’ll definitely make it as a horse.”

The broodmare band itself is now deliberately streamlined. Princess Tiffany is back in foal to Captaintreacherous, while last season’s Group 1-winning filly Treacherous Baby, a daughter of O’Baby, has been retired to stud and is safely in foal to Bettor’s Delight.

“We’ve only got the two broodmares, but we’ve got three two-year-old fillies, two weanlings and two foals to be born, so there’ll be plenty around soon.”

On Friday night, however, the focus narrows to one filly.

A filly bred on one of the strongest maternal lines in the country, carrying a pedigree built on performance, durability and depth.

And for the Whitelocks, the opportunity to return to this race with another daughter of Princess Tiffany is something they fully appreciate.

“For a mother to win this race and now to be back here again, it’s a great thrill. We’ll be there guns blazing, but it’s a great race and I wish everybody the best of luck.”

There is also a level of satisfaction for the Whitelocks in seeing Lady Di in the hands of the next generation, with Nathan Purdon preparing the filly in Auckland.

“I’m thrilled for Nathan too. He’s doing an outstanding job, the way he’s communicating and doing his thing up in Auckland, with Mark sort of supporting from a distance.”