Only one meeting to choose from for this week’s best bet in Ireland and it comes from Gowran Park on Sunday for the 15.05 3yo+ Handicap and the selection is Sometimesadiamond for trainer J S Bolger and jockey K J Manning.
The selections arrives here as the only 3yo in the line up as well as the only filly in the field and for those reasons she is receiving plenty of weight from rivals (7lb) in what is her first handicap start.
She has been keeping warm company and essentially this race today is a drop in class as she enters a handicap for the first time.
Her three runs this year have all been respectable finishing 3rd, 5th and 4th. The most recent two in listed company and back in April a Group 3 for the 1000 Guineas trial. On those occasions she has had some nice types in behind her and while her handicap mark of 95 is no gift the 7lb weight allowance could play a huge factor in this particular race.
Stall eight should not be too much of a worry as Kevin Manning will look to hold his mount up with That Is The Spirit and Have A Nice Day likely to make the running in what will likely be a truly run affair.
A repeat of her most recent outing a Naas last month when 3rd to the improving Brother Bear should be enough to land this prize. On the bare form this a weaker race than of those she has been contesting and with many of the field out of sorts, she is the likely candidate to take advantage with many things stacking up in her favour. Sometimesadiamond is, if nothing else, a consistent filly with a bright future and connections look to have found an ideal opportunity with her sights lowered for her to gain her second career victory, at the likely expense of St Brelades Bay, who has winning form over 6f and placed form over the 7f. Silverkode will be a huge danger if ready to roll after a long absence and is the class act in the field.
However the selection has many factors in her favour to make her a value bet against the field with each of them having plenty of negatives and given the right price, I would be more than happy with an each-way punt at around my tissue price of the 5/1 mark.
