Diamond Digger dominates Assiniboia’s Graduation Stakes

By Tom Law

How many miles from Milfer Farm to Assiniboia Downs? Stumped?

Diamond Digger, a 2-year-old gelding by Violence raised at the former home of Spectacular Bid, might know that the answer comes in close to 2,000.

He’s traveled the journey that includes about 730 miles from Otsego County to Lexington, where the then colt sold at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, and another 1,230-plus from Lexington to the Winnipeg suburb of St. James-Assiniboia in Manitoba, Canada. The last stop is also the site of the latest New York-bred stakes winner in Diamond Digger, who romped in Wednesday night’s $35,000 Graduation Stakes in his second start.

Bred by Milfer Farm Inc. and out of the winning Pulpit mare Prayer Bell, Diamond Digger went to the post 1-5 for the 6-furlong Graduation off a 7 3/4-length victory in a 5-furlong maiden special weight July 21 at Assiniboia. Stanley Chadee Jr., Assiniboia’s second leading rider, rode the gelding that day and again Wednesday.

Diamond Digger set all the pace in the Graduation, clicking off fractions of :22.40 and :46.60 on the way to an easy 5 1/4-length win over second-time starting maiden Mean Money and first-time starter Kiton. Trained by Michael Nault, Diamond Digger won in 1:00.40.

“This horse is awesome,” Nault said after the race. “At this stage of his development he’s nowhere near his potential. He’s a big, long gangly type of horse. He’s only going to get better. And he’ll go a distance. I’m very happy with this horse.”

Offered as Hip 545[2] as part of the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, Diamond Digger was purchased for $2,000 by Nolan Allard.

He’s the third foal out of Prayer Bell, a maiden winner at Keeneland in 2014 for trainer Charlie LoPresti. She sold in foal to Lookin At Lucky for $70,000 to Winchester Farm at the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, and the subsequent foal named Lookin At Liberty sold for $200,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale. He went 2-2-1 in nine starts and earned $91,850 racing in Kentucky in 2020.

Prayer Bell’s second foal, the Verrazano filly Chic Bella, sold for $30,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale and $50,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-year-olds in training sale.

Prayer Bell went through the Keeneland ring one more time, in 2018 at the November sale in foal carrying Diamond Digger in utero, and sold to Milfer Farm for $57,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2021/08/04/diamond-digger-dominates-assiniboias-graduation-stakes/

---

Sport Model stands tall in NYSS Statue of Liberty

By IV Hendrix

Christophe Clement stood on the ground floor of the Saratoga Race Course clubhouse, glasses in hand and watched as Sport Model rallied to the finish in Wednesday’s $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series.

After breaking from post five, Irad Ortiz Jr. settled the 3-year-old Freud filly toward the back of the field as others vied for the rail. Racing seventh of eight up the backstretch and into the second turn, Sport Model didn’t look like a contender. Until Ortiz went to work.

An active Ortiz swung wide and guided the filly to past the field to win by a nose over the Kent Sweezey-trained War Dancer filly Funwhileitlasted and Jose Lezcano.

“I thought (Funwhileitlasted) was the one to beat all the way,” Clement said as he watched the replay. “And to tell you the truth I thought she won the race even when we watched it live, but we got lucky.”

The fourth foal out of the Rockport Harbor mare Just Say Hey, Sport Model was bred in New York by Mr. and Mrs. James P. Curran and Dr. and Mrs. John McDermott. Foaled at Emerald Isle Farm in Hebron, she sold as a weanling to Jonathan Thorne at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga fall mixed sale for $70,000. Reeves Thoroughbred Racing purchased the filly as a yearling out of Thorne’s Thorndale Farm consignment at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale for $100,000.

Despite a rocky start – Sport Model finished 11th her first time out and failed to finish her second race after clipping heels and losing her rider – the filly notched her third consecutive win from five starts Wednesday. After breaking her maiden May 7 at Belmont Park, Sport Model earned black type after winning the Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Series June 19 at Belmont, where she edged Funwhileitlasted to win by a half-length.

Despite back-to-back stakes victories, Clement wouldn’t commit to an open-company stakes just yet.

“At the moment I want to enjoy this,” Clement said. “I don’t win stakes races every day – so I’ll enjoy it for a day or two and then come up with a plan.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2021/08/04/sport-model-stands-tall-in-nyss-statue-of-liberty/

---