Ace Lawson-Carroll completed his first 50-win season with an early double at Rotorua on Saturday, including a perfectly judged front-running ride on Diomedes in the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua (1560m).
The 20-year-old apprentice went into Saturday’s meeting with 48 wins to his name from 609 rides this season. That puthim 17th on the national premiership. He was ranked fourth among apprentices behind Lily Sutherland (64 wins), Triston Moodley (52) and Amber Riddell (50).
Lawson-Carroll moved to 49 with a four-length victory on favourite Moelle in the Rotorua ITM (1400m), and then Diomedes helped him hit the half-century in Saturday’s $40,000 open handicap feature.
Diomedes broke well from gate two and strode forward to take the early lead. He had company for some of the back straight as Solidify, who had been over-racing, moved up alongside him.
But Lawson-Carroll began to increase the tempo from the turn out of the back straight, shaking free and pinching a break on his opposition.
Diomedes rounded the home corner with a big margin up his sleeve and, despite solid chasing efforts by Solidify and Nigella Lane down the straight, he never looked like being caught. Diomedes crossed the finish line three lengths in front.
“I thought he’d be a good chance today, he’s got nice wet-track form,” Lawson-Carroll said. “It was a matter of giving him a comfortable enough run, then getting the revs up early and putting away the field.”
The Kurtis Pertab-trained Diomedes has now had 23 starts for four wins, seven placings and $76,190 in stakes. The 6-year-old son of Echoes Of Heaven is raced by his breeders, Sandy Schlaepfer and Julie Young.
“This horse had been racing really consistently and has kept putting in good performances,” Pertab said. “He’s up in the grades a bit now and needs to have everything go his way. He got that today, so we’re really happy.
“Ace rode him bang-on. He just kept improving at the right time without really going for him. He doesn’t have much of a sprint on him any more, getting a bit older and long in the tooth, but he can keep up a strong gallop. Ace gave him a perfect ride.
“He’s an old warhorse and it’s nice to have horses like him in the stable.”
