'He has got some future ahead of him' - the Brazilian trainer making waves in Ireland

Trainer and Brazilian native Diego Dias has been backed to make a big impression after he fielded a first runner in Group 1 company just a few months after taking out a licence.

County Kildare-based Dias, who had his first runner in May, made a splash when his first runner in Britain won at Glorious Goodwood, and he followed that up with Gaenari's creditable fifth in Saturday's Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

Goodwood winner Mansa Musa and Gaenari are both owned by the Star Bloodstock team and managing partner Matt Eves says the trainer has "some future" in front of him.

Eves said: "Diego can train, he knows what he is doing and when you have a guy who also sits on them as well, you get a fair insight. He has got some future ahead of him, he’s only got five or six in training and already has a runner in a Group 1 – not many trainers have done that."

Star Bloodstock began in 2015 and recruited Dias to prepare their horses in 2019, with the first batch including Malavath, who won a Group 2 and went on to be sold for €3.2 million for her new connections after she came second in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

After Dias took out a licence this spring, the operation has elected to keep any horses they did not sell with the trainer who has "a bit of ammo to come".

Diego Dias (left) with his first winner WinemakerCredit: Patrick McCann

Gaenari has proved Dias's flagship horse for his burgeoning operation this season. While she is still a maiden after five starts, the two-year-old has twice been a runner-up at Listed level and performed admirably enough in the Phoenix to keep an even bigger plan in the pipeline for the autumn.

"Gaenari ran very well stepped up to Group 1 company in the Phoenix," said Eves. "She was only beaten a length by the Railway Stakes runner-up and the third was fourth in a Coventry so it was a great run.

"We bought her back with Diego after her breeze-up. There wasn’t much interest in her and Diego said we can’t let this filly be sold cheap. We went to Deauville because she didn’t run her race in the Anglesey Stakes as she doesn’t enjoy being on the front-end. Diego is confident he can win a Group race with her. Gavin Ryan got off her on Saturday and said don’t bother going back to a maiden, just try and win a Group race.

"She has got an entry in the Prix D’Arenberg at Longchamp on August 31 so that is probably where she will go. 

"Diego keeps telling me not to be too busy in November because the plan is to head to the Breeders’ Cup, so that’s the dream."

Mansa Musa (right) and Rossa Ryan win from Array at GoodwoodCredit: Mark Cranham

Mansa Musa finished sixth at Naas on his debut for connections but Dias then decided to roll the dice and pitched the colt into a valuable maiden at Goodwood, where he displayed a tremendous attitude to prevail be a short head.

Eves added: "Mansa Musa was one of our best breezers but no one was interested in him, not a sinner. Diego said he really liked him and said he will win a maiden and we’ll go from there. Going to Goodwood, Diego said to me that he didn’t think he would get beat. He said the market will say different, but that he wasn’t fit enough on debut at Naas and that he was going to Goodwood to win.

"At the minute, Mansa Musa is in the process of being sold. We had a lot of interest in him and we’re doing a deal with someone who will probably keep him in Ireland. We’re hopeful he might stay with Diego."

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