Diwali springs a surprise in Sandown Cup
Developing stayer Diwali caused a minor upset in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) on Sunday.
Diwali, aptly-named and trained for success on Australian Steeplechase race day, capitalised on the slowly-run Sandown Cup and finished better than favourites Through Irish Eyes and Alma Rise.
A horse named Diwali, trained by the late Rick Hore-Lacy, won the 1982 Australian Steeplechase.
Former jumps jockey-turned-trainer Gavin Bedggood, who trains the current Diwali, rode three Australian Steeplechase winners including Mazzacano (2007 and 2009) and Vindicating (2011).
'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 won a 2400m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Moe three back and most recently placed second at Sandown over the same distance in a midweek Benchmark 70.
The four-year-old worked smartly last week, which convinced Bedggood to go for the Sandown Cup.
'We came here today with reasonable confidence, obviously a horse with a low benchmark rating but on fresh legs I suppose,' Bedggood said.
Bedggood said the Deane Lester Flemington Cup (2800m) on July 19 at Flemington could be viable winter finale for Diwali.
'We got six weeks, we'll probably send him to the beach tomorrow and give him a week to freshen up a little bit,' Bedggood said.
'Maybe look for a 2500m run at Flemington in between time, we might get three weeks, three weeks into that race (Flemington Cup) and use it as our final.'
Experienced jockey Joe Bowditch praised Bedggood's placement of Diwali.
'Can't this bloke train a racehorse? Never put anything past Gavin,' Bowditch said.
'I won a Benchmark 58 at Moe on (Diwali) three starts back, he was impressive but I wouldn't have thought we'd be here… full credit to Gavin.'
Bowditch had the race won a long way out on Diwali, who turned for home with plenty to offer.
'Once we came past the winning post (the first time) the anchor went out and everything steadied up,' Bowditch said.
'I was quite glad to see Linda (Meech) take off and get going and that just allowed me to get away from the fence and get off the back of Glentaneous.
'Bided my time and once Declan (Bates) got going I was able to get a beautiful cart up… I was a bit worried I was going to get there a little bit too soon.
'The horse was travelling that well I didn't want to stop his momentum over this trip, stop start on him, I just kept letting him flow and he was too good.'
Originally published as Diwali relishes the step up to two miles in the Sandown Cup
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