Diversify ‘A pretty happy camper’ after Whitney win
NYRA SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » In describing Laura Evans and Ralph M. Evans’ Diversify following his dominant victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney, trainer Rick Violette could have easily been talking about himself.
“He was tired, but content,” Violette said Sunday morning. “He’s a pretty happy camper.”
The same could be said for Violette, who has overcome health issues in recent years and right up to entry day wrestled with the decision to run Diversify in the Whitney off back-to-back standout efforts rather than waiting for the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward September 1.
“I had the most blissful sleepless night last night because I was just wired. Every time I rolled over I woke up, or somebody sent me a message and you hear the ‘ping,’” Violette said. “I’m a wreck today. I’m just exhausted today because I didn’t sleep, but it was a blissful, restless night.
“He’s supposed to be tired. If he wasn’t, I’d be a little concerned. We kicked him out in the [round pen] for a couple hours and let him graze for another hour. He had a pretty cool morning, and he still didn’t want to go into his stall,” he added. “Sometimes you just have to listen to them. He kept telling me, ‘Don’t be a chicken, put me in,’ and it worked out. He was pretty special yesterday.”
The Whitney was the third consecutive stakes victory for Diversify following a nose decision in the Commentator against fellow New York-breds May 28 and a 6 ½-length romp in the Grade 2 Suburban July 7 - both at Belmont Park and earned the 5-year-old gelding an automatic berth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic November 4 at Churchill Downs.
Violette said the prudent step is to skip the Woodward and point to a title defense in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup September 29 at Belmont as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup, but as he did prior to the Whitney, the trainer will ultimately leave the decision in Diversify’s hands.
“I probably won’t even nominate to the Woodward. Off this race and the two before that, I just think it would be unreasonable. It’s four weeks and then four weeks to the Jockey Club and then four weeks to the Breeders’ Cup. I don’t think that’s logical,” Violette said. “I think we will set our sights on the Gold Cup and see what happens after that. We could go right to the Breeders’ Cup if the situation arises, but he does like Belmont. I’ve said it too many times; if you want to make God laugh, make long-range plans.”
One of Violette’s longtime clients, Evans and his daughter purchased Diversify for $210,000 at Keeneland’s November 2016 sale when the original owner partnership was dissolving. Violette had trained the son of Bellamy Road to two wins and recommended him to Evans, and since then they have won six stakes, including the first Grade 1s for Evans as an owner and first for Violette since Dream Rush swept the Prioress and Test at Saratoga in 2007.
“I guess he’s got to be the best horse I’ve ever trained,” Violette said. “We’ve had some very, very talented horses. [Evans-owned] Upstart was a very talented horse, but he never won a Grade 1. Read the Footnotes never won a Grade 1 and was a really, really talented horse. Between the talent and putting up the performances, he’s certainly at the top of the list. He’s a scary good horse.”
Diversify has also been a blessing for the 65-year-old Violette, who underwent treatment for cancer in 2015 and last fall was hospitalized for 10 days with pancreatitis which kept him away from Belmont for the Gold Cup and left his longtime assistant, Melissa Cohen, in charge.
“What we’ve gone through the last few years, I’m a very, very lucky man. I can’t tell you how many people rallied behind me people I didn’t know, people I knew very casually, my best friends, and my family’s been outstanding,” Violette said. “I didn’t know I had so many friends and so many real, caring people that literally took care of me the last three years. Melissa, she should be up for sainthood. That’s the real rock solid base, and this is all gravy. Fundamentally, I’m a pretty lucky guy.”