A diamond set to shine

By Brodie Nickson

To say Diamond Epic has been a work in progress for emerging trainer Renita Beaton may be an understatement, but the mare has given her connections an extra skip in their step towards potential winter carnival targets.

Diamond Epic enjoyed a breakout summer as she won three Saturday metropolitan races in a monstrous preparation.

Sent around $4.20 in an 1820m BM70 at Eagle Farm on February 14, Diamond Epic showed toughness and tenacity to overcome traffic and record her sixth career win.

It was her third metropolitan triumph and as many in four starts to culminate and outstanding preparation where she had in work for around a whopping nine months.

The then three-year-old barrier trialled at Beaudesert at the end of June, returned to the races at Ipswich in July and apart from a quick freshen here and there, maintained the massive preparation of 11 starts through to February.

The campaign saw her rise from a provincial Class 2 mare with ability, to a bonified metropolitan horse with black-type goals.

The rise came as no surprise to trainer Renita Beaton and major owner, Dr Robert Watson, who had always maintained high hopes for the mare.

The daughter of Better Than Ready had all the earmarks of a nice horse; a beautiful action, sustained strength, a turn-of-foot, all she seemed to be missing was mental professionalism, however, with each start that began to shift.

“She has been a really nice horse the whole way through from the moment I took her to the races. We have had a big opinion of her from the start and although we have tiptoed a little bit with her because of her mannerisms, it is really nice that she has come to her own and stepped up,” Beaton said.

She returned to the races in July last year where she absorbed a fast pace in a BM65 at Ipswich and still produced the second fastest last 200m of the meeting, on a day nothing made ground.

However, for viewers watching the replay or live on TV, many would have missed her pre-race antics which became known to trackside punters.

“We used to follow the pony [to the start] because she used to kick them, but now she will actually go beside the pony and be led to the start, which is an improvement in itself,” Beaton said.

Beaton has taken a patience first approach to the mare, trying to tick one small goal at a time.

“We certainly have tiptoed along with her. We haven’t really over faced her,” she said.

“Her owner, Rob, has been really good and been with us the whole way through and really relied on our feedback as well.”

Beaton was quick to praise her entire team for their work with the mare. Assisted by her fiancé, Troy Schmetzer, apprentice Amelia Heinrich and regular track rider Megan Davies, Beaton says her team ‘has done a wonderful job ironing out the mare's quirks’.

“I’m lucky to have the team I have,” she said.

Beaton also credits the toughness of Diamond Epic and the pristine training facilities of Fenwick Farm for creating the right environment for her mare to thrive.

Based inland from the Gold Coast, Beaton shares the Fenwick Farm training facilities with Ryan Tyrell and have an abundance of different training tools at their hands. From pools, water walkers, sand and turf tracks, jumps and multiple walking tracks, Fenwick Farm has everything a trainer needs to keep their horses happy.

It was this hard work and relaxed environment that saw Diamond Epic’s performance transfer to the racetrack, recording her first metropolitan victory in a BM70 at Eagle Farm on December 27.

It coincided with her first attempt at a mile and signified the start of her gradual rise in distance.

“It is nice to see her sort of live up to what we had hoped she was and I feel like there is probably more improvement which is exciting,” Beaton said,

“She is actually only a four-year-old mare, so you forget that she is on her second preparation almost.

“Really early she always gave us that feel when we were in the saddle that she would get over further.

“Even though she has a beautiful turn-of-foot, and an explosive one at that, she effortlessly gets into a cruising rhythm at home. She feels like she could go all day, has a high cruising speed, beautiful big nostril, deep girth and [is] very different to your typical Better Than Ready.

“I feel most are sort of nuggety, small and strong and sprinter type style of horses, where she is the complete opposite.”

Although Beaton and Watson have always felt Diamond Epic had black-type ability, both aren’t prepared to rush.

Connections have identified the Listed Tatts Gold Crown (2100m) for fillies and mares, won last year by Miss Joelene, as a potential target.

“We are sort of looking at the back end of the winter carnival, there are some nice races there and one of them is the Tatts Gold Crown,” Beaton said.

“Whether or not she gets there we don’t know but we will put that on the radar and try tick off a few races we have earmarked.

“It will be really nice to get her to a Stakes race, I think she deserves to and I think she is good enough.”

Beaton admits although she does have a potential program in mind, she isn’t going to commit to a set plan yet.