Rocky's Diamond

The most striking thing about him is what happens when the rain arrives. On wet or muddy ground he has won 2 from 3 races, a 67% win rate that puts him in a completely different category to what he shows in normal conditions. Some horses tolerate soft ground; Rocky's Diamond actively thrives on it. Gowran Park tells a similar story — 2 wins from 4 races there, which is the sort of record that makes you circle the track name every time the entries go up. Winning half your races at a specific course is not luck. It means the horse genuinely suits the place.

Trained by Declan Queally out of Cappagh in Co Waterford, he is part of a yard that has sent out 26 winners this season — a healthy, active operation with horses in form. Queally has spoken warmly about Rocky's Diamond's temperament, describing him as very cool and mentally mature beyond his years, the kind of horse who acts like he has been around longer than he has. After his win at Galway in September — his most recent victory, now eight months ago — the trainer admitted he had been anxious about the horse's jumping style, calling him brave to the point of exuberance. That win settled those nerves and opened up bigger possibilities.

Those possibilities appear to centre on the Stayers' Hurdle, one of the top races on the calendar. As recently as February, Queally confirmed that was the plan, with work rider Dylan Phelan reporting back positively from the gallops. Rocky's Diamond has not raced for around four months, so he is returning from a break — but the trainer's tone suggests this has been a purposeful, patient preparation rather than a stop-start campaign.

The recent form shows two sixth-place finishes at the head of his last runs, which on paper looks like a dip. But context matters: he was finding his feet over fences for the first time, on unfamiliar ground, in races Queally has since described as learning exercises. The horse who emerges from this break is presumably one who has done that learning.