Rocky's Diamond
The four-year-old Rocky's Diamond significantly out-performed market expectations in the Grade 1 Savills Hurdle at Leopardstown. Held up at the back of the field early on by Shane Fitzgerald, he travelled through his race like a horse who belonged in this grade. He moved up along the inside over the second last flight but he was a little tight for room as they raced to the home turn. Only fifth as they straightened up for home, it would have been understandable if he had faded from there, but he moved past Asterion Forlonge on the inside on the run to the final flight, jumped the obstacle well and stayed on past Hewick and Sandor Clegane to finish a good third behind Home By The Lee and Bob Olinger.
It was a brave move by trainer Declan Queally to pitch the four-year-old into a Christmas Hurdle - only one four-year-old had run in the race in the last decade - racing off level weights with some of the best staying hurdlers around, yet the move was obviously justified. Rocky's Diamond had done well on his previous run, to win a handicap hurdle at Gowran Park, racing in rear early on behind a moderate pace and staying on well for pressure to get up and beat Happy Jacky by a half a length. A 7lb hike for that still left him with 29lb to find with the top-rated horses in the Savills Hurdle, but he was racing for just the fifth time over hurdles at Leopardstown, he is obviously seriously progressive. The handicapper raised him by another 15lb to a mark of 145, but it may be that he can be competitive in more graded races now. The Galmoy Hurdle on Thyestes Chase day at Gowran Park could be a viable target, back over the course and distance over which he won in October. The last 10 renewals of the Galmoy Hurdle have all been run on soft or heavy ground, very different conditions to Leopardstown's conditions, but Rocky's Diamond won his maiden hurdle at Limerick on soft to heavy ground in April.
Leopardstown, 28th December 2024
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