Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett is eagerly anticipating the return of promising import Don Diego De Vega to the racetrack in Sydney this Saturday. It will mark just the third Australian start for the gelding, now under the care of trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.
The son of Lope De Vega boasts an impressive resume, having finished just three lengths behind subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact in a Listed race in 2023. Don Diego De Vega secured his second Australian win over 1800m at Randwick last July, showing signs of great potential.
A minor setback ruled him out of the spring carnival, but Lovett believes the enforced spell may have ultimately benefited the gelding’s long-term development.
“Like a lot of times with these imports, sometimes time can be their friend,” Lovett explained. “He actually did too well in the paddock. We brought him back into pre-training early, and he’s had a faultless prep since then. Annabel is really keen to kick him off over the mile, albeit we don’t think he’s a miler. (We) just want to see where he fits in.”
Don Diego De Vega, a winner over 2000m in France, also competed over distances of up to 2400m during his European career with Stephane Wattel. However, Lovett currently sees 3200m as beyond the gelding’s capabilities.
“If he’s good enough, you go weight-for-age, mile-and-a-half … you’d try him at 2600m. It’s hard to know, because we’ve only just scratched the surface with him last prep. There’s plenty under the bonnet,” Lovett added.
Meanwhile, fellow import Sayedaty Sadaty, who raced in the Caulfield Cup, has been gelded since his last outing and is set for a new chapter under trainer Ciaron Maher.
“He’s obviously got a low mark, so he’ll just come through the grades, and Ciaron will find out where he fits in,” Lovett said. “I have a really good opinion of him, so I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t measure up to some better races, albeit it might be in the spring.”
Both horses hold plenty of promise, and their connections are optimistic about what lies ahead in their respective campaigns.
