DIAMOND DOUGAL made his racecourse debut at Bath’s very same meeting as a juvenile twelve months ago and whilst he finished third in his maiden that day, the jarring conditions saw him away from the track until August. That setback however saw him truly flourish in the autumn, winning two races and being placed on three other occasions.
Whilst he clearly benefitted from that enforced absence, he’s certainly done well over the winter and took the Class 4 five and a half furlong three year old handicap in fine style under Charlie Bishop. Always in touch behind the leaders, he was asked for an effort at the two pole and extended away to win by over two lengths.
The Handicapper put him up 9lb for that success, so he took his chance in the Class 2 handicap at Sandown the following Friday, carrying a 6lb penalty. He ran an absolute cracker and was just caught on the line beaten a short head into second.