Beautiful Diamond

Burke is one of the most prolific trainers in Britain right now — his yard has sent out 145 winners this season alone — and Beautiful Diamond is clearly one of the horses he holds in high regard. Speaking earlier this year, he described her as "all speed" and flagged races like the Palace House Stakes and the Temple as targets, two of the most prestigious sprint events in the calendar. His assistant James Cowley has spoken about how badly she was jarred up by the dry ground at Newmarket, which explains why her big-race appearances away from Ayr have not quite told the full story. On dry, fast ground she wins 2 from 3 — a brilliant 67%. On the wet, soft ground she clearly prefers, she has been almost unbeatable in top company.

Regular jockey Clifford Lee has ridden her in 12 of her 16 races and knows her well. The owner's racing manager Philip Robinson summed it up after her most recent Ayr win last September: "She's all about speed, Clifford just let her roll along and it all came to her." That sums up what Beautiful Diamond is — not a grinder, not a horse who battles back from difficulty, but one who, when the conditions are right and the track is Ayr, simply takes off and leaves the field behind. Her recent form shows three consecutive third-place finishes since that win, which suggests she is in good health and racing well without quite hitting her peak again yet. With a horse this consistent at the top level, you suspect Ayr in September will come around soon enough.