Dieing Art goes from strength to strength

It’s not often motherhood arrives before a trip to the races, but Dieing Art (Art Major) isn’t your everyday Standardbred.

The Mark Thompson-trained seven-year-old won the Team Teal Women Can Mares Pace at Echuca last night, her second success in-a-row since making her race-day debut at Swan Hill on January 16, 2024.

“She did a tendon as two-year-old,” Thompson said. “I just put her in the paddock and forgot about her, then I put her in foal and she had a foal.

“Last year I sold a few horses, I had a bit of room, so I put her back into work.”

The path for Dieing Art to make it to the track was filled with uncertainty.

“When I got her in foal, I wasn’t thinking about getting her back to the races,” he said. “I had a chat to my wife about it (getting her back) and we thought we would give her a run, and she has showed no signs of breaking down since.

“I knew she had ability and by the time she had broken down she had showed us a bit.”

To see his girl continue to go from strength to strength is satisfying for the 61-year-old Ballendella horseman.

“It felt good (when she won),” Thompson said.

“She had been in the paddock for four or five years and she was a pretty fat individual. It’s taken her time to get where she is. She could probably still lose a bit of weight yet.”

The future for Dieing Art is looking bright, with Thompson happy to take each day as it comes.

“We will just go along, and I will pick out suitable races for her and we (will) go through the classes, and we will see where she ends up,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by Lachlan Mitchell, for Harness Racing Victoria