EDMONTON -- An Alberta-born horse trainer had massive success Saturday at the Kentucky Derby after his horse finished seventh in the esteemed annual horse race.
Robertino Diodoro, originally from Calgary, has trained horses for 29 years and is regarded as one of North America’s leading horse trainers.
He is a veteran of race horsing wars in Canada after winning the Canadian Derby three times and Alberta Trainer of the Year twice.
Diodoro’s three-year-old horse, named Keepmeinmind after a song by the Zac Brown Band, was a 39-1 longshot.
“We were pretty happy,” Diodoro told CTV News Edmonton in an interview.
“You never want to be happy with finishing seventh but I thought the horse ran quite well and got back to his running style where he’s a come from behind horse.”
Keepmeinmind is co-owned by Whiterock, B.C. native Arnold Bennewith.
This was the first time Diodoro had a horse in contention at the Kentucky Derby.
Keepmeinmind has had a stellar record with a fifth finish at the Blue Grass Stakes Race, sixth finish at the Rebel Stakes, and finished first at the Kentucky Jockey Club.
Diodoro told CTV News Edmonton that we have not seen the last of Keepmeinmind this season as the last two legs of horse racing’s Triple Crown are yet to come.
“I really think the horse is going to get better,” Diodoro said.
“He is a big horse and is still growing into himself,” he added. “We’ve got high hopes for him.”
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