from Scioto Downs Racino

Columbus, OH — Longtime Scioto Downs Racino trainer Jim Pollock, Jr. knows a thing or two about good pacing fillies and he’s ready for Diva to fill some big shoes.

Conrad photo

Diva was a 1:56 winner for driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.

Diva won the first race Thursday night (June 6) at Scioto, a non-winners of one pace, in 1:56 with Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. driving in her second lifetime start.

The 3-year-old daughter of Sharky Spur, out of the Jate Lobell mare Beam Of Joy, is a full sister to Idol, who holds the track record at Scioto for 4-year-old mares. That 1:51.4 mark was taken in 2010 with driver Sam “Chip” Noble III.

“It’s hard to compare one to her (Idol),” said Pollock. “She (Diva) has got a lot of the same traits, the same personality. As far as speed-wise, I don’t know yet, it’s pretty close but to early to tell.”

During 2012, Idol’s last year of racing, the mare took to Scioto driver Kyle Ater and the pair had three wins, two seconds and a fourth, all in the Fillies & Mares Open. Being the first year an Ohio track was racing for added money from the VLT machines, the race was going for $15,000 each week (this year the Fillies & Mares Open goes for $20,000) and Idol earned a cool $29,700 in just seven starts.

Idol took her 1:50 lifetime mark as a 4-year-old and earned $293,135 in her four-year racing career (ages 3-6). Her last start was in October 2012 and she is now in foal to Western Ideal.

“Their mother (Beam Of Joy) is at Hickory Lane Farm right now being bred to McArdle,” said Pollock. “We have an I’m Gorgeous weanling that was born about six weeks ago — a filly.”

Scioto Downs Racino photo

Diva and caretaker Makala Pollock after the filly’s first lifetime win, a 1:56 mile at Scioto Downs.

Diva and Idol’s half brother by Village Jolt, Baby Bubby, raced during the same card for Pollock and owner Stephen Richard, but the colts in the family just don’t produce results like the fillies. The 5-year-old has earned more than $60,000 and took his lifetime mark of 1:53.4 last year.

“It’s pretty much a filly family, the colts haven’t been real strong,” added Pollock. “They are a good 3-year-old family. They’ve had issues with their knees being immature. I qualified Idol as a 2-year-old (in 2:01.1) but she wasn’t mature enough. The same way with her (Diva); I trained her in 2:25 as a 2-year-old and then shut her down.”

Pollock plans to qualify another filly in the family, a 2-year-old named Zena by Four Starzzz Shark, on Tuesday at Scioto. With any luck Diva and this younger daughter will follow in their older sister’s footsteps.