Rocky’s Diamond

Rocky’s Diamond

23rd-Jan-2025

You can see why Hiddenvalley Lake is favourite for the Galmoy Hurdle.  He is a talented and relatively lightly raced staying hurdler.  Winner of the Boyne Hurdle last year, he finished third in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree on his final run last season, and he was only just beaten by Crambo in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on his debut this season.  He goes well on soft ground too, he is the one they all have to beat.

That said, I think that Rocky’s Diamond should be closer to him in the market than he is.  Declan Queally’s horse has only just turned five, but he did well to win a handicap hurdle over the Galmoy course and distance in October, and he proved that he could operate in this grade with a fine run to finish third behind Home By The Lee and Bob Olinger in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown last month.

He didn’t have a great run through that race either, and there is room for improvement in his jumping, but he kept on well to finish a good third, with Sandor Clegane and Hewick and Asterion Forlonge behind him.

That was just his fifth run over hurdles, there is every chance that he will improve again now and, if he does, that would give him a real chance of going well here.

ROCKY’S DIAMOND WON (ADV 8/1, SP 5/1)