Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Sprightly veteran pacer Diego led his rivals on a merry dance when he celebrated his 100TH start by setting a brisk pace and winning the $31,000 Rotary Club of Fremantle Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New Zealand-bred eight-year-old, driven aggressively and confidently by Maddison Brown, showed that he has lost none of his competitive spirit and is capable of contesting the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on November 8, a race he won in January 2023 when he beat Jumpingjackmac, Mighty Ronaldo and Magnificent Storm.
Diego, bred and owned by Syd and Shona Brown (no relation to Maddison), has been produced in splendid condition by master trainer Gary Hall Snr for his winter and spring campaign, and he boasts a marvellous record of 100 starts for 27 wins, 24 placings and stakes of $898,517, which includes 17 starts in New Zealand for three wins, five placings and $26,750.
Maddison Brown has formed a wonderful association with Diego, having driven the Bettors Delight gelding 48 times for 14 wins, six seconds, eight thirds and five fourths.
“He felt strong and really switched on tonight,” said Brown. “Once we got to the front (after 250m) I was going to go up a bit (with her grip on the reins). But he was travelling so sweetly that I didn’t.
“Coming into the bell he was quite keen, but he ran through the line super well. Earlier in the preparation he was getting on his knee a bit, but that has been sorted out since we put a pole on him, and he is racing straighter.”
Diego was the $2.70 favourite on Friday night when he accelerated quickly from barrier five to dash past the polemarker The Code Breaker and into the lead. Mighty Conqueror, the $4 second fancy from the outside barrier in the field of eight, settled in last position before Deni Roberts urged him forward after a lap to move to the breeze, thus giving Wildwest ($8.50) an ideal trip in the one-out, one-back position.
Diego gave his rivals little chance of seriously challenging him by running the final three quarters in 28.6sec., 28.5sec. and 28.8sec. He won by just over a half-length from Wildwest, rating 1.56.7 over 2536m. The Miki Taker ($4.20) ran home strongly from sixth at the bell to finish third.