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Diamond and Crystal take Listed honours at Ayr

3 minute read

Beautiful Diamond and Pink Crystal won the two Listed races on the card at Ayr on Friday afternoon.

PINK CRYSTAL. Picture: PA

Karl Burke's Beautiful Diamond justified strong market support when taking the five furlong Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes, adding to the yard's exceptional season of juvenile results. Third in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, the filly returned after a two month absence with a credible one-and-a-half lengths fifth behind Relief Rally in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York. Ridden by Clifford Lee, she benefited from the fillies' weight allowance and attempted to make all down the centre of the course before staying on well in the closing furlong to beat Purosangue by a length.

Assistant racing manager to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, Philip Robinson said "I was very pleased with her, she deserved that. 

"She was third in the Queen Mary and didn't get home at York over six furlongs, so five furlongs today was perfect.

"She's very quick, that seems to be her game. I don't rule out six furlongs in the future on faster ground, maybe next year, but at the moment she's showing more and more speed.

"She doesn't just look like a two-year-old, she's the type of filly that may progress from two to three as she has a bit of scope about her."

Pink Crystal produced a late effort to win the five-and-a-half-furlong Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies' Stakes for jockey Jason Hart.

Trained by William Haggas, Pink Crystal made her seasonal return in a six furlong handicap at York before finishing one-and-three-quarter lengths fourth in the Group 3 Summer Stakes over the same course and distance. The four-year-old had finished second in this race twelve months ago and used the course and distance form to her advantage.

Jockey Jason Hart was forced to switch left as the field spread across the course in the closing two furlongs but found a willing partner in Pink Crystal as the four-year-old accelerated past the second and third-placed Secret Angel and Marine Wave to score by a length-and-a-half. Favourite Aussie Girl finished fourth.