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Former Canadian Derby Champion Great Escape Returns for Spangled Jimmy Handicap at Century Mile

Jun 20,2024 Curtis Stock for Horse Racing Alberta

Former Canadian Derby winner Great Escape is back.

The 2022 $200,000 Derby winner heads Friday’s $50,000 Spangled Jimmy Handicap at Century Mile and trainer Robertino Diodoro says “All systems are a go.

“He’s been doing great since he got to Edmonton three weeks ago,” said Diodoro, who got his start in Alberta and is now one of North America’s top trainers with over 3,200 wins.

“I’m expecting a big race.”

Great Escape, who also won last year’s $100,000 Speed to Spare Championship, has won just under half a million dollars.

But, the five-year-old is coming off a dismal fifth place finish at Nebraska’s Fonner Park - a race he lost by 20 lengths.

“You can just throw that race out. Everything went wrong and he definitely didn’t like the bull ring,” Diodoro said of Fonner Park’s five-eighths of a mile oval.

Century Mile is a mile in circumference.

“I could tell something was wrong after they had only run an eighth of a mile. He was trying to get out; he just wasn’t comfortable.

“I really believe he is back to himself.”

Diodoro said Great Escape worked four furlongs in 48.40 seconds - the second fastest work of the day - last Friday at Century Mile.

“He did it very easily. He worked really well.”

After his poor showing at Fonner Park on April 27, Diodoro also worked Great Escape twice at Lone Star racetrack in Texas.

Great Escape went four furlongs in 48.45 seconds on May 19. Then he sizzled another four furlongs in 46.89 seconds - second fastest of 66 workers - on June 1.

“They were both really good works.

“He’s a nervous horse. He doesn’t act crazy or anything but he’s tough to keep weight on.

“He also isn’t a good shipper. I don’t think we gave him enough time to settle down when we sent him from Arkansas to Nebraska.

“But now he’s been in Edmonton for almost three weeks. We wanted to give him time to settle in and it appears he has.”

Great Escape was a $200,000 yearling sale purchase, who was then bought privately by Arnold Bennewith, Rick, Clayton and Lana Wiest, Randy Howg, Gary Kropp, Norm Tremblay and Tim Rollingson before the 2022 Manitoba Derby - a race where he finished second behind stablemate Red Knobs.

“We did the same thing with him before he won the Canadian Derby and the Speed to Spare. We gave him just about three weeks before he won those two races at Century Mile,” said Diodoro also won the 2013 Derby with Broadway Empire, the 2014 edition with Edison and the 2018 Derby with Sky Promise.

Great Escape won both the Speed to Spare and the Canadian Derby with ease.

Great Escape’s scintillating Derby win - going a mile and a quarter in 2:01.35 seconds - is still easily Century Mile’s track record.

His time was almost three full seconds faster than the previous record.

“He likes this track,” said Diodoro, who sent four other horses to Alberta with “a few more on the way - sooner than later.

Diodoro is also bringing in Antonio Whitehall, Winnipeg’s top jockey, to ride Great Escape in the seven-furlong Spangled Jimmy.

“He rode him in last year’s Speed to Spare and gave him a great ride. I figured he deserves another opportunity. I’m glad to have him again.

“I really think Great Escape will get back on track on Friday.”

With four wins, seven seconds and three third-place finishes, Great Escape was also fourth in the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.

Among the 24 nominees to the Spangled Jimmy Great Escape’s main challengers would appear to be Decoy, who won the recent Journal Handicap most impressively; Sir Bregovic, who went wire-to-wire to win an allowance races in his last start after shipping in from Vancouver; Uncharacteristic, who was second in The Journal after a long layoff, and who won the 2021 Canadian Derby; Soaringforthesun, who won a stake in B.C. last year, and Coolwind, a recent newcomer owned by Al Pitchko from California, who came from out of the clouds in his last start moving from last place at the top of the stretch to second losing by just half a length to Riverside, who is also nominated.

Also on Friday’s card is the $50,000 Shirley Vargo.

That race could come down to the speedy Missczech and the very handy Big Hug.

Missczech exits a very impressive win in the Spangled Jimmy. Big Hug, was last year’s Three-Year-Old Filly of the Year when she won three stakes including the Alberta Oaks by five lengths. Her last start was her 2024 debut and she won that in a romp taking an allowance race.

“She’s doing well,” said trainer Rick Hedge, who also co-owns the champion with Empire Equestrian.

“She trained well all spring. She won her season debut easily but this will be a lot tougher. But she’s tough too. I think she can run even better than her last race.

“I think she’s ready as long as Missczech doesn’t get an easy lead. There’s some other speed in the race,” Hedge said of the likes of Skip’s Rock and U Did It, two of the 14 nominees to the race.

“And Big Hug shouldn’t be too far off the lead.”