It’s déjà vu all over again at Monticello Raceway with a
local pacer, Diamond Tiara, vaulting to the top of the North American
leaderboard after she notched her ninth seasonal triumph yesterday (April
7) at the Sullivan County (NY) oval.
With Jimmy Taggart, Jr. again at the controls Diamond Tiara
wired the field to score in a time of 1:58.1.
Last year another Monticello-based pacer, Tracys Song, led
the North America in wins at this time, and nearly all season-long, and
finished the season with 21 victories-- 18 of them consecutive.
Not to say that Diamond Tiara will win 21 races this year
but at this time her prowess can be compared to Tracys Song’s proficiency last
year when she, too, led the continent in races won.
On Monday, after starting from the two-hole Diamond Tiara
was looped on the first turn by Red Eye Blue Chip (Jimmy Devaux). But no sooner
did Devaux and his pacer take command Taggart was out and going with Diamond
Tiara and they had the lead at the field passed the first stanza in :28.2
When the field headed to the halfway point, Jason Ryan moved
May Night out to challenge Diamond Tiara and the two pacers raced as a team
around the clubhouse turn and up the backside. But on the final turn Diamond
Tiara put it in another gear and opened daylight on her competition and coasted
home an easy two-length winner in a seasonal best of 1:58.1. Red Eye Blue had
the benefit of a two hole journey but she couldn’t make up any ground on the
leader in the lane and finished second. May Night was a close third.
It’s usually hard to get Jimmy Taggart, Jr. to say much but
he did offer; “She (Diamond Tiara) raced good again today. She’s got quick
speed and likes to be on the front-end.”
He hesitated for a moment and as he was walking away he
added; “She’s better than these (her competition)”
Owned by Philip Schultz and trained by Mike Watson, Diamond
Tiara paid $3.30 for win.
With her latest victory--her fifth consecutive-- Diamond
Tiara, a 7 year –old daughter of McArdle, is joined at the top of the charts by
Rockin Rambaran another pacer who has nine wins in Canada at Rideau Carleton
Raceway.
