Diodoro barn plans return to Woodbine

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Robertino Diodoro is having another productive meet at Oaklawn, and following the close of the season next month, he will be sending some of his local runners to a meet that the Canadian trainer has not competed at since 2009 – Woodbine.

Diodoro, who has been a fixture at Northlands Park, said he has 16 stalls for the Woodbine meet, which opens April 9. He currently ranks fourth among all trainers in North America with 47 wins through Tuesday.

“Five or six years ago, I had a small string of horses at Woodbine,” said Diodoro, a 42-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta.

Diodoro said horses from his Oaklawn division also will land at Prairie Meadows and Canterbury Park when the local meet ends April 16. The trainer additionally keeps a year-round operation in Southern California.

As for his Oaklawn meet, Diodoro has won seven races from 32 starters to rank among the top 10 conditioners at the track. He also is on pace to better his win mark from last year, his initial season at Oaklawn, when he went 9 for 33.

Subtle Indian is helping the barn make its mark at Oaklawn. He won last year’s $100,000 Gazebo Stakes at the track and will move back into stakes competition Saturday in the $100,000 Hot Springs. Subtle Indian will be going for his third straight win at the meet in the six-furlong race for older horses, following optional-claiming wins in January and February.

The Hot Springs drew a field of seven Wednesday. Ivan Fallunovalot, the winner of the $100,000 King Cotton in his last start Jan. 30, was entered but is not certain to start, trainer Tom Howard said. The horse was diagnosed with a quarter crack last week. A decision on Ivan Fallunovalot was to be made by Thursday afternoon, said Howard.

Wolf Man Rocket returns

Wolf Man Rocket, who was edged by a head in an entry-level allowance Feb. 19 at Oaklawn, is back at the same condition Friday. He will move from a mile to 1 1/16 miles, and depending on how the break goes from his rail post, he is a candidate to wire the field under jockey Calvin Borel.

“I’ve only had him for a short while, and it’s hard for me to say whether I like him at a mile or a mile and a sixteenth better,” said trainer Tom Howard. “I don’t see the distance hurting. In fact, it might let him relax better.”

Wolf Man Rocket was narrowly beaten in a race that went down to the wire with eventual winner Quiet Ruler.

“When they went across the wire the first time, I thought, ‘No, they got us,’ ” said Howard. “Then they showed the replay, and I thought, ‘No, we got them.’ It was really close, a good horse race.”

Frank Fletcher owns Wolf Man Rocket, a stakes-winning son of Mineshaft.