The $175,000 Listed MRC Sandown Cup (3200m) on Sunday featured some battle hardened old stayers, but it was the young kind on the block that got the prize with four year-old Tavistock gelding Diwali scoring his first stakes win.
Trained by Gavin Bedggood and ridden by Joe Bowditch, Diwali was way too strong and dashed away to win by nearly three lengths taking his overall record to four wins and three placigns from 15 starts with prizemoney just shy of $200,000.
“He presented well, he’d (Diwali) been running well… and the race was there,” Bedggood said.
“We thought it was probably going to end up like it was, horses from the Andrew Ramsden, a few jumpers… we were untried at the distance range but we thought with the right run in transit it should work well for him.”
Diwali is likely to target further staying races during the winter with the Deane Lester Flemington Cup (2800m) on July 19 at Flemington a target race.
Bred by Rosemont Stud, he was not offered at public auction and is a half-brother to Group III winner Weismuller, stakes-winner Travolta and
Group I placed Harlow Gold. He is the third stakes-winner among six winners from good producer Belongs in Lights, who is also the grand-dam of dual Group I winning sprinter Roch’n Horse.
Belongs in Lights has a yearling filly by Shamus Award and had a year off in 2023, but unfortunately missed last spring.
Diwali is the 54th stakes-winner for Cambridge Stud’s much missed sire Tavistock, who tragically died prematurely at the height of his powers in 2019.
