Diomedes (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) ended his season on a winning note at Pukekohe on Wednesday, capping what has been a fruitful preparation.
In testing Heavy10 conditions, the Echoes Of Heaven gelding showed his tenacity in the closing stages to hold on to win by a head over Theoden.
“It was very tough. It didn’t look very easy going out there and he had to dig deep,” trainer Kurtis Pertab said.
“He just doesn’t lay down and tries his hardest every time. He has got a great attitude and is a very easy horse to train. It would be good if they all tried as hard as him.
“He won by a very small margin, but he has been up a really long time. He has had five starts this prep for two wins, two seconds and a third.
“He has had a pretty good campaign, so we will just put him in the paddock now and let him have a well-deserved break.”
Pertab is hoping to continue his strong season at Wanganui on Friday where two-year-old gelding Naval Anthem (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) will make his debut in the Wanganui-Taranaki Racehorse Owners Association Maiden 2YO (800m).
The son of U S Navy Flag was set to make his debut at Ruakaka earlier this month, but an incident prior to the race curtailed those plans.
“He banged his knee prior to running at Ruakaka, that is why we had to scratch him,” Pertab said.
“We have backed right off him and he should be hard to beat if he gets any luck.
“He is not a very big horse but has the two-kilo claim with Kelsey (Hannan, jockey). She has ridden him at the trials and knows him, so hopefully he can be somewhere on the speed and keep grinding away.”
