Pop Diva provided Te Awamutu-based trainer Clint Isdale with a promising debut at Waipa on Wednesday 3 April, running on well for third in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race.
A $1,600 purchase off gavelhouse.com in February as an unraced three-year-old, Isdale who trains in partnership with Gemma Hewetson, is pleased with the Rock ‘n’ Pop filly’s debut against a field of more seasoned fillies and mares.
“I saw her on gavelhouse.com and noticed that she was NZB Insurance Pearl Series nominated and that enticed me.”
“Then after watching her run third in a trial behind Sacred Day, who Tony Pike has an opinion of, I was even more keen to buy her,” Isdale commented.
Having returned $1,200 in prize-money from the effort, Isdale is looking forward to her future along with his other gavelhouse.com purchases, having been a regular buyer in the site “My others I’ve bought online are all going well and are set to trial shortly.”
The training duo have 31 horses currently in their care comprising of a mixture of yearlings, their own racing stock and pre-trainers for Isdale’s former boss in Singapore-based trainer Lesley Khoo.
Isdale sits among the top ten in the gavelhouse.com Newcomer Leaderboard with three wins while series leader Andrew Carston has a big break with 13 winners.