Southern Bred Southern Reared stock continued their excellent harness racing record in the $450,000 Group One WA Pacing Cup when Diego (Bettor’s Delight) won the Gloucester Park feature for Otago breeders and owners Syd and Shona Brown.
Trained by Gary Hall Senior and driven by Gary Hall Junior, Diego was taken straight to the top where Hall Junior controlled the race tempo. Coming down the straight he had enough in the tank to beat another SBSR bred Hall trained runner Jumpingjackmac (Mach Three) by 1.3 metres.
DIEGO REPLAY
The win lifted Diego’s stake earning to over $500,000 and he’s now won twenty one races, all in Western Australia. Earlier in the month he won the Group Two $100,000 JP Stratton Cup.
Diego was developed by and raced out of Jonny Cox’s stable winning two races from seventeen starts before the Browns decided to send him to Australia.
Other SBSR bred pacers to win the Cup have been Admirals Avenue (Admiral Halsey) 2000, Washakie (Badlands Hanover) 2010, I’m Themightyquinn (Washington VC) 2011,2012 and 2013, Hokonui Ben (Washington VC) 2014, Chicago Bull (Bettor’s Delight) 2017, Mighty Conqueror (American Ideal) 2020 and Wildwest (Raging Bull) 2021.
The race has been won by some legends in the sport including Pure Steel (1977,1978, 1979 and 1980), San Simeon (1981), Gammalite (1983), Preux Chevalier (1984) and Village Kid (1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989).
For complete race results, click here.
by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink