Horse Racing: Dinkum can be Ascot’s Diamond geezer

A RETURN to six furlongs should see Dinkum Diamond back in the winner’s enclosure after the John Guest Bengough Stakes at Ascot.

The three-year-old has tasted success just once in seven starts this term, with that victory coming when dropped to conditions company at Newmarket in July.

While Henry Candy has struggled to win with the Aussie Rules colt in Pattern company, there is no doubt he remains eminently capable of claiming this Group Three event.

Third in the Abernant over six furlongs on his seasonal bow, Candy opted to revert to the minimum trip at Sandown in June and has stuck to that since. Dinkum Diamond’s staying-on third behind Deacon Blues last time suggested a switch back up in distance might be just what he needed as he was never nearer than at the finish. The winner there is a class act and while Elzaam will be tough to beat, Dinkum Diamond might be a viable alternative.

Last year’s Leger hero Arctic Cosmos makes his reappearance in the Grosvenor Casinos Cumberland Lodge Stakes but preference is for Quest For Peace, who will be making his debut for Luca Cumani.

The Galileo colt began the year with Aidan O’Brien, winning two out of three starts including a Listed race at Roscommon in July. He was subsequently snapped up by OTI Racing who have shared international success with Cumani through the likes of Bauer, Drunken Sailor and Manighar.

Quest For Peace is probably due to tackle similar targets in time but given his progressive profile, he can bag this Group Three on the way. And Samitar must be the choice in Newmarket’s £300,000 Tattersalls Millions 2yo Fillies’ Trophy if in the same kind of form as last week.