Oaklawn shipper incentive a draw for Diodoro

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Robertino Diodoro’s first year on the New York Racing Association circuit was a success.

Diodoro, who first stabled in New York with the beginning of last year’s Belmont spring-summer meet, won 32 races from 150 starters in the last 12 months.

Diodoro is hoping for even more success in year two. Lured by a NYRA incentive designed to attract Oaklawn shippers, Diodoro plans to have 40 head at Belmont this meet, which begins Friday.

NYRA will pay a one-time 30 percent purse bonus to the connections of a horse that runs in a non-stakes race at Belmont who made his last start at Oaklawn. Additionally, NYRA will pay a $1,500 shipping fee for that horse.

Diodoro said he has brought an additional 23 to 25 horses to New York because of the incentive put in place by Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior director of racing operations.

“It’s a pretty good incentive, especially when you got an owner who has five, six, seven horses just on the shipping; everything adds up,” Diodoro said. “It was a good move by Martin. It’s definitely made us bring more than we were going to bring.”

Last year, Diodoro won with his first starter at the meet on opening day with Set the Trappe, a horse he claimed for $25,000 at Oaklawn and ran for $16,000 here.

His only starter on Friday’s opening-day card is Blame Us All in the first race. Diodoro claimed Blame Us All at Aqueduct for $25,000 two starts back and is dropping the horse in for $14,000. David Cohen rides.

At Oaklawn, the Diodoro-Cohen team combined to win 24 races.

“New York is one of our main places this summer,” Diodoro said. “Happy to have David Cohen riding a good percentage of the horses. He’s off to a good start. We’re hoping to get off to a good start at Belmont.”

Steve Asmussen, who made 225 starts at Oaklawn, said the bonus program prompted him to ship six horses from Oaklawn to Belmont where he already maintains a year-round string.

“I had planned on probably 10 but I thought a few of them could use a little break,” Asmussen said.