In the trials and tribulations of horse racing, a horse winning only four races in a row is a laudable achievement, but to win 10 in a row and 12 all year round is phenomenal. rarely. Some of the greatest athletes in the history of the Game of Kings have not achieved such feats, but a former athlete claiming $3,500 has been named. Shinny did it with bells in 2021.
The now 5-year-old Cal-bred, which is not easily visible to the eye and has a small frame, was picked up by owner Robert Rosette and trainer Robertino Diodoro one Wednesday afternoon at the Turf Paradise. At the time, Rosette’s stable had shrunk to just one horse as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Rosette noticed Shinny on the show, he immediately contacted his coach.
Rosette recalls: “I remember my first saying to Robertino: ‘Look, I want to do something really degenerate. “He just laughed and said, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ I told him how they had a $3,500 condition to race here in Turf (Paradise) and I said, ‘There’s a well-bred horse and if it’s not good we’ll bring it back. But if it’s good, maybe he just needs a fresh start and a new barn.’ And Robertino let me do it. I asked him for $3,500.”
Shinny went up nine widths into the stretch round and went to the rope with the winner 3/4 length that day.
“When he won that race and won it perfectly, I thought ‘Okay, he’s not a bad horse.’ That win makes me optimistic and excited about him,” said Rosette.
Shinny and Robert Rosette
Four starts after that win, Shinny went on to win. Dirt, grass, slope, long or short, the pony with a powerful late kick will always find a way to get the ropes first, mainly in title competitions with the original option that allows your son to Square Eddie to compete without running for a card.
“Several races he won in Canterbury Park Rosette said over the summer that went up to $30,000. continued, ‘but somehow he just pulls it out every time. He’s so small. You can literally lose track of him tracking his races. And it looked like he was going to lose too, but he got there right after the end. “
As this tiny race finished its ninth race of the year, Rosette admitted that he checked the national rankings for the wins for the leading horses — and was elated to see Shinny’s name in the race. second.
“It’s not something that we shoot for or anything, but (we) certainly enjoyed it when he had that distinction,” Rosette said. “It’s just one of the many differentiators he has now. He definitely makes us all happy.”
During the summer, Rosette flew out of her hometown of Arizona to watch Shinny’s race at Canterbury Park. The gelding boy found his way to the winner’s circle again, this time to the welcome of a cheering crowd.
“It was something,” Rosette recalls. “At the end of the race, the announcer said to the crowd, ‘I don’t know if you bet this horse or not this horse, but let’s give Shinny a standing ovation. “There must have been 10,000 or more people there cheering for him after the race.”
Not only did Shinny’s accomplishments catapulted him to stardom, but his earnings for the year, $114,091, allowed Rosette to compete at a level of game he had never experienced before. . Rosette went to the 2-year-old sales for the first time and bought a chubby kid who is currently training with Diodoro at Oaklawn Park. He also claimed a horse for $50,000, which he joked was always “out of his league,” during the prestigious competition. Del Mar meet in the summer. That horse, Tiger dad , back with a $60,000 win over Luke Kruythbosch at Turf Paradise in his first appearance for Rosette. This is also Rosette’s first win as an owner.
Rosette said: “I owe it all to Shinny. “He’s been the claim of my life, that’s for sure. I’ve owned quite a few racehorses in my life. My dad owns racehorses, my family owns racehorses. I started out. bought my own stallions around 2003. I run a law firm so Having horses as a hobby just keeps me grounded and happy. is priceless.”
Shinny ends 2021 with a win Greeley and Ben and Sevier , who peaked in his campaigns last year with 11 wins. Gelding is also running a 10-race streak in 2022, having capped his season with a double tally in an optional claim contest that begins December 17 in Turf Paradise.
Rosette was quick to credit Diodoro’s team for the success of Shinny, and his frequent rider, Lindey Wade, who flew across the country to pilot Shinny during most of his warm-up year. last.
Up and running in the new year, Shinny started back for the first time on January 5 in an original option claimant at Turf Paradise, where he was listed as an even money favorite on the line. morning.
“I changed my flight to meet a client so I could go see the race,” said Rosette. “I missed a lot of his races before and now I’m building my schedule around Shinny because I like him so much. My whole office is often out there to watch him run. If you look at the winning photos, the number of people in the winner’s circle keeps growing and getting bigger and bigger.”
Rosette has modest goals for Shinny in 2022 after his stellar 2021 campaign, content with enjoying his rich championship once a day.
“I just want to see Shinny run and stay healthy,” Rosette said. “He’s qualified for his starting eligibility in another year. And maybe if after that goes out we’ll have to figure out from there a suitable position where he can compete and work to the fullest.”
