SCST NOV 08 - DIAGO SCORES EYE-CATCHING VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Sunshine Coast, November 8, 2009.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 10m.
Class 1 Handicap - 1600m. Time: 1-38.27.
1 Diago; 2 Mulsanne; 3 Bradash.

The lightly raced Diago took the step up in distance (from 1200m to 1600m) in his stride to make it two wins from two starts this prep.

Jockey Stathi Katsidis had Diago positioned worse than midfield, but travelling comfortably, until the turn. By the time the field straightened Diago still had all of six to seven lengths to make up on the frontrunner Musanne.

The ease with which Diago made up that ground, with Katsidis merely flicking his wrists and riding hands and heels was impressive. Ironically, it was only once in front, inside the final 100m, that Katsidis gave the gelding a couple of reminders, just to keep the inexperienced runners mind on the job. In the end the winning margin was a healthy 2.80 lengths.

It is very seldom that trainer Liam Birchley talks up his horses and he was not necessarily doing so here. It was just a quietly spoken sentence ... “I think he’s going places,” ... that could be a comment well worth noting!

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Liam Birchley: “It’s won two out of two for me. (Birchley did not have the horse for its first start). “We put the blinkers on. He did race like he needed a little bit of help, but he is getting better every time.

“That was a good win today. It’s hard to win a Maiden and then a Class 1 and he did that with a fair bit of authority. He carried a bit of weight and he put them away pretty well. I think he is going places.”

Jockey Stathi Katsidis: “He is a nice, big, strong horse. He jumped from 1200m to 1600m today. Like, that’s a great effort. We put the blinkers on him after the other day, because he was a bit erratic last time. He pulled a little bit hard, but he will learn not to do that. He missed the jump as well.

“Look, the horse that he ran down is a very average horse, but he had 58kg so it was a good run. He is a very nice horse ... and he’ll win in town probably this time in, hopefully.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Diago): 4.00 out to 4.40 in to 4.00.
Favourite (Diehard Trying): 2.50 out to 3.40. Finished seventh.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
The start of this race was delayed when Finx shifted its near-fore plate when proceeding to the barriers, necessitating the horse being replated. Diago (S. Katsidis) was slow to begin. Diehard Trying (J. Byrne) and Diago both over-raced in the early stages of the race. Bee Jay Senza (B. Pengelly) was momentarily held up for clear running near the 400m. Arabia (K. Wharton) raced wide for the majority of the event.

When questioned regarding the performance of Diehard Trying, J. Byrne stated that as a result of the horse over-racing in the early stages the horse raced in a more forward position than he would have liked which, in his opinion, did not suit the horse. He further added that he advised connections that the horse would be better suited racing back in the field. Stewards noted the explanation.

A post-race veterinary examination of Arabia, which finished tailed off, revealed it to have sustained a minor abrasion to the off hind leg.