UNPREDICTABLE Diamondonthehill sparkled again at Redcar today to make it two wins out of two at the seaside track.
The four-year-old Al Kazeem gelding (below) is known as a gem on the gallops at Michael Dods’ Denton Hall yard, near Darlington – but he’s a rough diamond who doesn’t always put in the effort.
Today - Caribbean Carnival Family Day - was a good day as he put in a polished performance to land the Join Racing TV Now Handicap, beating Tim Easterby’s Redcar specialist Give It Some Teddy by half a length.
Reunited with Callum Rodriguez, who won on the horse at Redcar in April last year, he was always going comfortably.
Dods said: "He's always been a hell of a worker at home but he’s not straightforward. He’s got a real engine, but you never know which version of the horse will turn up."
Charles Hill, of owners The Sekura Group, added: “He’s got all the ability in the world but he’s temperamental. Callum rode a lovely race.”
Redcar was celebrating its 150th anniversary and jockey Sam James secured the first leg of a quick-fire double by landing the Celebrating 150 Years of Redcar Racecourse Handicap on Lion Tower.
The five-year-old gelding (below), trained at Northallerton by Grant Tuer, had run respectably last time out to finish ninth of 21 at Ascot and he stayed on resolutely to hold off even-money favourite Golden Voice.
Tuer suggested that the horse may now be aimed at The Clipper Logistics Handicap at the York Ebor festival, saying: “He toughed it out really well and that’s a career high for him. He rarely runs a bad race and we were hopeful of a good run.”
Sam James’ double came thanks to Scottish raider Aconcagua Mountain (below), trained by Iain Jardine, who got up in the final stride to beat Ann Duffield’s Cuppacoco and Tracy Waggott’s Mrs Bagerran in a thrilling three-way photo-finish in the Woodsmiths Construction Group Classified Stakes.
There was poignant result to the Celebrate The Life of Ann Allport Restricted Maiden Stakes when Finbar's Lad (below), trained at Preston by Eric Alston and ridden by Jimmy Sullivan, prevailed by a head at 40-1.
Owner-breeder Paul Harrington revealed that he named the gelding after his dad who passed away last year.
"We sent him to the sales but he had a capped hock so that put some people off. We decided to keep him and sent him to Eric who thought he was OK. When my dad passed away, we thought we’d name the horse in his memory.
“We weren’t expecting too much but when he came to the front, I was shouting ‘Do it for me dad’. It means a lot.”
The seven-race card got underway with a win for Newmarket as Bojink (below), trained by George Boughey and well ridden by 7lbs claimer Connor Planas, cosily landed the Market Cross Jewellers Claiming Stakes.
Ravenglass, trained at Malton by Richard Fahey and ridden by Oisin Orr, followed up his second at Ayr by landing the Who’ll Be The Yorkshire Wonder Horse Handicap.
And the anniversary meeting ended with another win for Scotland as Desert Quest (below), trained by Ewan Whillans at Hawick, followed up his recent Ayr victory by dictating from the front under 7lbs claimer Aiden Brookes to hold on from the staying on Jack Yeats in the Watch Race Replays On Racing TV Handicap.
Gretna Green beef and sheep farmer John Wright, who co-owns the gelding with Willie Orr and Chris Spark, said: “The jockey’s instructions were not to fight him and let him do his own thing. That was his minimum trip (1m 6f) and he’ll stay all day, so two miles will probably be his distance.”
- Main picture Diamondonthehill gets the better of Give It Some Teddy