Sink or Swim for El Diablo?
- Friday, 07 February 2003 00:00
One of South Australia's most exciting gallopers El Diablo gets the chance to score his first Melbourne win when he clashes with a group of proven sprinters in tomorrow's listed $75,500 JRA Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
A lightly raced five-year-old son of El Moxie, El Diablo hit the headlines in February 2001 and gained national cult status before he even had his first start.
As a young unraced horse the gelding took fright when being exercised at an Adelaide beach (by comeback apprentice Cheree Buchiw), getting rid of his rider and bolting into the ocean, where he had to be "rounded up" by a dinghy boat as fears raised for his safety.
The gelding is trained by Jeremy Gask, one of the state's most respected and talented horsemen at Goolwa, an hours drive south of Adelaide.
El Diablo will be having only his sixth run at Caulfield tomorrow and his first since a runaway six and a quarter length win in Adelaide in March last year.
Interestingly his previous start brought up a handy second placing to his rival and proven stakes winning sprinter Prince Rubiton in last year's running of the JRA Stakes.
Steven King, who rode Caulfield better than anyone during the spring carnival, has been engaged to ride El Diablo. The pair will jump from barrier seven in a field of eleven.
The hardest for El Diablo to beat appear to be Prince Rubiton, Irish Pride and Don't Tell Tom.
There is also plenty of other Adelaide interest in the race with the Victoria Derby runner-up Hydrometer resuming. Top jockey Damien Oliver was recruited to ride the son of Geiger Counter for Leon Macdonald. Hydrometer is being aimed at the Group One AJC Derby, a race won in the past by another Macdonald trained son of Geiger Counter, Gold Guru.
PICS - Jenny
Barnes.
