Jockey Stanley Chadee Jr. celebrates with assistant trainer Hanna Dilts after riding Diamond Digger to victory in the 42nd running of the Graduation Stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. J. Halstead/Assiniboia Photo.
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 as part of the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, Diamond Digger was purchased for $2,000 by Nolan Allard.
Diamond Digger rolls to to victory in Graduation Stakes in second career start. J. Halstead/Assiniboia Photo.
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.
