Beautiful Diamond can bow out with repeat on Ayr raid

Beautiful Diamond will aim to make her last racecourse visit a winning one with a repeat bid in the Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes at Ayr on Friday.

The Karl Burke-trained sprinter is set to bow out ahead of a new career in the paddocks at a course where she has produced her best, winning this race 12 months ago by two and a half lengths.

And connections believe she has every chance of delivering a fifth win and a fourth in five visits to the west coast venue over a track and trip that suits her perfectly.

“She has won three times up there including in this race last year and this will be her swansong. The owner is keen to send her to stud and we are 90 per cent sure this will be it, win or lose,” said Philip Robinson, racing manager to Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.

Beautiful Diamond has had just one outing since May, over the minimum trip at Ayr in June when finishing third, but was twice pulled out of targets on account of unsuitably fast ground.

“They just weren’t the right conditions so we decided to wait until we had the right ones and Karl was just really keen to get her sorted out and go for this race again,” said Robinson.

“It just seems the perfect trip, the five and a half, and we are hopeful she will go well.”

Burke’s five-year-old mare looks set to go off at the head of the market in a 15-strong field, with Tracy Waggott’s Heavenly Heather and Katie Scott’s Lunar A Inbhir Nis her closest challengers in the market.

Phillip Makin’s Hickory Lad is a leading contender in the day’s other Listed contest, the British EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes.

Hickory Lad has been a model of consistency this season, keeping decent company in two Group Two contests before producing what his trainer feels was his best run at York last time when third to Sale Shark in the Listed Roses Stakes.

“I would say that last run was probably his best or certainly up there, but he has been a very honest and consistent horse this season,” said Makin. “Soft ground will suit and the stiffer finish will probably be in his favour after York.

“He has had a really good season and we are hopeful that we are going there with a good chance.”

Makin is aiming to become only the second man to both ride and train the winner of this race following his win on Clem Fandango in 2016, with Richard Hughes being the other.

Hughes rode Boogie Street to victory here in 2003 and trained Star Of Mehmas when that horse was successful under Billy Loughnane two years ago.