October 12, 2001 seems so long ago to Hunter Valley harness racing trainer Sam Dimarco.
On that Friday evening Dimarco geared up talented pacer Bills Bingo for the first race at Harold Park. Bills Bingo started favourite in the race but locked wheels and ran last…it was the last time Dimarco took a horse to the races for more than a decade.
After some major health issues that kept Dimarco away from the sport, including a battle with depression, it was fitting he returned on Valentines Day, February 14th 2014.
He loved his horses and through the support and love from his daughter Marissa, Dimarco was back doing what made him feel good.
Fast forward to this week and Dimarco is about to enjoy a thrill many trainers never get to experience.
Dimarco will have two runners – Gotta Go Gold and Shadow Runner – in Saturday night’s Group One Alabar Bathurst Gold Crown, with both owned by Marissa.
“Marissa is very keen on the horses,” Dimarco said. “She has a few broodmares and breeds a couple every season, but has always had a love for the horses since she was a young child.
“We went out to Brooklyn Lodge last year, and when she picked the two of them out, I asked her which trainer she was going to send them to and she told me she wanted me to train them.
“She wanted to help me and thought the horses would do that.”
Shadow Runner was super impressive winning his heat by 11 metres last weekend, while Gotta Go Gold had to work a bit harder to record his five-metre win…something the son of Gotta Go Cullect has become accustomed to.
“Rickie Alchin broke them both in and told us they would both make it, so we took them home and spelled them at a property at Wyee,” Dimarco said. “But we got a call to say Gotta Go Gold wasn’t very well and looked to be suffering from colic.
“We raced to see him and he looked to be in a bad way. The vets were treating him for colic, but he wasn’t improving, so took him to an equine hospital in Newcastle and they did some investigations and worked out he had a blockage in his intestine.”
After discussions with a surgeon about the operation, Sam and Marissa contacted Alchin to see whether he thought it was worth spending $10,000 to try and save him.
“We put Rickie on the spot and he suggested we try and save him and I know Marissa would have had him operated on no matter what the cost,” Dimarco said.
Gotta Go Gold debuted last month and was an impressive winner at Newcastle winning by more than 25 metres.
“He has only been beaten once and that was when Shadow Runner proved too strong for him at Newcastle,” Dimarco said. “He is very speedy, but probably isn’t as strong as Shadow Runner.
“Shadow Runner has won all three starts, but his biggest test is going to be this Saturday night in the Final.”
At Monday night’s barrier draw neither freshman fared wellm with Gotta Go Gold drawing barrier sevenm while Shadow Runner has drawn gate 10.
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HRNSW Media