Darl gets diamonds for Christmas

If ever there was a hint for what harness racing driver John Dunn should get his wife Jenna for Christmas, it’s Ya Rite Darl (What The Hill) winning the $100,000 Group One TAB Queen of Diamonds at Alexandra Park last night.

In a roundabout way, the three year old filly is named after Jenna who co-trains her with her father-in-law Robert Dunn.

“It’s what I say when Jenna rings me,” John told me after the filly won the Southern Oaks earlier this season.

Ya Rite Darl got back early before Dunn took her forward to sit parked beside leader American Muscle with just over a lap to run. At the 400 the two horses raced on terms and halfway up the home straight Ya Rite Darl got past American Muscle and went on to win by three quarters of a length from Belle Neige who came home late. American Muscle finished third a length and a half back.

YA RITE DARL REPLAY

“I was back far enough. I didn’t want to get too wide round that last bend. I backed her staying ability and luckily it was there tonight,” John said.

The winning time of 2-44.3 wasn’t a race record but was .1 of a second outside Tailored Elegance’s New Zealand record for three year old fillies of 2-44.2.

“She brought her A game tonight.”

Ya Rite Darl was bought unnamed by Diamond Racing at the NZB Standardbred Weanling Sale for just $8,000.

The win took her stakes earnings to over a quarter of a million and it was the filly’s first G1 win. She’d previously won one G2 and Two G3’s.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink