'I never thought when I was younger that I'd go away from the country'

Insiders of the breeze-up scene will be well aware of Diego Dias, given that good riders are worth their weight in gold for showing a young horse in its best light.

Now, after several decades working on behalf of others, the Brazilian is stepping out of the shadow as a consignor in his own right.

The genial Dias’s talents are in such demand that he had to cut down the amount of mounts in Wednesday’s Goffs Dubai Breeze-Up Sale to half a dozen, as he simply could not be in two places at once.

They include an Accelerate colt for his allies Star Bloodstock (lot 42) but there will surely be an extra frisson when he partners Marlhill House Stud’s son of Justify (44), which raised and raced his stakes-winning Galileo dam Sarrocchi, as Diego Dias Bloodstock.

"When I stopped race riding I had to do something else with horses, maybe get a licence to train, but I’d been riding breeze-up horses for nearly 19 years," he says. "I enjoyed getting horses ready and the reward is when they go out and win good races. It’s exciting. I’m just doing a bit of pre-training, prepping for the breeze-ups.

Malavath (far side) was pipped by Pizza Bianca at the Breeders' CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Last year with Star we had Malavath, a very easy filly to break, and seeing her go on to win a Group 2 in France and finish second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf was great."

This is Dias’s first visit to Dubai, but he had done his research.

"I’d say when the talk started about this sale, everyone started looking for a proper horse for it," he says.

"It’s like with the Justify. He didn’t sell at Book 1, we were all there and just thought that he’d suit Dubai. He’s a lovely horse and he stands out. It’s the first year for the Justifys as two-year-olds but I have to say I like them, they’re sharp.

"The Accelerator came from my yard, he’s very big and strong and you couldn’t ask for a better mind on a horse. He does what you want - walk, canter trot, ask him to quicken - he just loves his job."

Dias primarily rode for Joe Quinn, who also had an involvement in the breeze-ups, but struck out on his own a few years ago. He now has his own yard in the Curragh with 19 young horses for various clients and admits it is a world away from where he started.

"I learned to ride at small track back home called Goiania and in the year I started, I was only an apprentice but managed to be champion jockey at the track that year. So I moved along to Rio de Janeiro. It was different, I rode plenty of winners but didn’t work out being a champion jockey. It’s very competitive down there, plenty of good jockeys with their own stables."

From title winner Silvestre De Sousa to leading breeze-up proponent Robson Aguiar, the skilful horsemen of Brazil have made a significant impact on European racing after starting back at the bottom in Ireland.

Dias, who rode a handful more winners for Quinn, was initially a little happy-go-lucky but has now established a life-changing business.

"It was a kind of financial move but I thought I’d try it, it was an opportunity, something different," he says. "But moving from Brazil to Ireland - I never thought when I was younger that I’d go away from the country.

"I thought I’d stay for a year or two but I’m still there 20 years down the line and to be honest I have no plans to go back. I’m happy and settled."

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