Goodwood set to offer examination of Bright Diamond’s true prestige

Adam Morgan
August 26, 2022 2:38 pm

Burke filly sparkled on debut at Newmarket, and now steps up.

Bright Diamond faces an acid test at Goodwood on Saturday afternoon when she looks to build on her brilliant Newmarket debut in the William Hill Prestige Fillies’ Stakes.

Karl Burke’s filly blew away the opposition with a breathtaking display on the July Course, sauntering to a nine-length success and looking like a potential star in the process.

It is hard to get a real grasp of the form with the race set aside for newcomers and only one of the beaten horses running since – finishing down the field at Carlisle.

But connections are keen to find out where they stand with the daughter of El Kabeir and this Group Three affair should give a good indication of whether they can begin to dream big with the Spigot Lodge youngster.

Hello, what have we got here? 👀
Bright Diamond (El Kabeir) was one of the first under pressure in the @BritishEBF “Newcomers” Maiden Fillies’ Stakes @NewmarketRace

And then this happened for @karl_burke and @CliffordleexLee 👇 pic.twitter.com/MhSz7OMDz5
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 6, 2022

“We’re on a mission to find out how good she is at Goodwood,” said Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.

“Obviously she was very impressive at Newmarket. We don’t really know how good those were behind her, but you can’t do any more than win like she did.

“I went up to see her and she is very very laid-back and relaxed at home, she doesn’t sparkle anyway, she is just so laid-back.

Ebor Festival 2022 – Day Two – York Racecourse — Bright Diamond is just one of a number of talented juveniles Karl Burke trains at Spigot Lodge this season (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We’re on mission to see where we are with her, whether we can step up to Group One races in the future. Everyone is guessing and I don’t think Karl really has a clue. We think she is probably useful, but how good, we don’t know that yet. She’s one of those that hopefully wakes up on the track.

“Fairy Cross is probably the danger, she finished second at Sandown in the Listed race to Dance In The Grass, who is one of ours and we think a lot of, so we’ll learn plenty.”

Fairy Cross is the general market leader for the seven-furlong contest and bids to enhance Godolphin’s fine record in the juvenile division this season.

Charlie Appleby’s daughter of Dubawi was beaten less than a length By Dance In The Grass in the Sandown contest mentioned by Robinson, while Richard Hannon’s Bet Me was fourth on that occasion and has already tasted success at this venue on debut before that.

The Queen is also strongly represented by Richard Hughes’ Candle Of Hope, who attempts to build on her Denford Stakes third.

An easy winner of her first two starts, she was beaten just over a length in her first foray in Group company at Newbury and with black type secure, her handler is confident of a bold bid.

“She’s a great filly,” said Hughes. “We were a little bit cautious with the way we rode her the last day. It was very important to get the black type with her and in hindsight we were perhaps a bit unlucky not to get second.

“Now we have our black type, we can be a bit more bolshie with the way we ride her as she stays well.”

Queen Olly burst onto the scene at York and has since performed admirably in defeat in both the Albany and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, while John Quinn is looking forward to stepping Breege up in trip following her third in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.

John Quinn's Breege steps up to seven furlongs in the William Hill Prestige Stakes — John Quinn’s Breege steps up to seven furlongs in the William Hill Prestige Stakes (John Walton/PA)

He said: “We’re happy with her and seven furlongs will suit her. She’s in good nick and we’re expecting her to run well.”

The field is completed by Mottisfont (Hughie Morrison), Ivory Madonna (Richard Spencer) and Inanna (Sean Woods), who finished third, fourth and sixth respectively in the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month.

A winner on debut at Ffos Las, Mottisfont was making just her second start when staying on strongly for a place on the podium and her trainer is optimistic she will have benefitted for that experience.

Trainer Hughie Morrison is optimistic of a big run from Mottisfont at Goodwood (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We were pleased with her run at Newmarket considering she had the least experience of the first three or four, I think,” said Morrison.

“As we don’t wind them up too much, it was like her first proper run, so you would hope she would come on from the experience. It looks competitive, like it should do, and the ground is obviously going to be a bit different to what she has experienced so far.

“We nearly waited for the mile race at Doncaster, but she seemed fit and well and we thought we better go when we’re happy with her.”