Diamond Tiara sparkles in 8th win of year

After the Monticello Raceway-based pacer Rusty's Flying scored her seventh seasonal triumph on April 1 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 on Tuesday, Diamond Tiara 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 Tuesday 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.

 

Owned by Philip Schultz, Diamond Tiara paid just $2.70 for win. (Monticello)