After the Monticello Raceway-based pacer, Rusty’s Flying
scored her seventh seasonal triumph on April 1st she joined
another Mighty M pacer, Diamond Tiara, in second place in wins on the current
North American leaderboard.
Slated to make her 13th start of the year
yesterday (April 2) Diamond Tiara did and won for the eighth time and now she’s
tied - albeit with four others - for the lead in races won thus far this
season.
A mare of considerable class in her younger years Diamond
Tiara, a 7-year-old daughter of McArdle, usually does her talking on the
front-end and her mile yesterday was another wire-to-wire triumph, this time in
2:00.1.
Jimmy Taggart, Jr. was again in the sulky for trainer Mike
Watson which marked the sixth time that Watson had handed Taggart the reins
which has resulted in five wins and one second place finish, not to
mention that it was the mare’s fourth consecutive victory.
“She has lots of class and can leave like a runner which
usually puts her in contention in every race,” Taggart said after the race.
“She’s real handy, too, and certainly a pleasure to drive.”
Diamond Tiara, a career winner of over $156,000 , owns
a lifetime mark of 1:50.4 as a 5 year-old and even last year the gritty
mare won in 1:53.3. Both of the aforementioned victories were taken over
the five-eighths mile oval at Harrah’s Philadelphia. This year, in spite of the
brutal weather during this past winter racing season, her fastest triumph was a
1:58.3 clocking.
Now with 13 seasonal starts Diamond Tiara is yet to be off
the board. Her card now sports eight wins, two seconds, and three thirds and
despite racing for paltry purses she was won of over $10,500.
