Merisi Diamond

The most striking thing about Merisi Diamond is what happens when the skies open. On wet or muddy ground, this horse wins 3 times from 9 races — that's 1 in every 3, compared to a career average of roughly 1 in every 5 across all 24 races. Plenty of horses tolerate soft ground; Merisi Diamond actively thrives on it. Trainers and jockeys dream of having a weapon like that in wet weather, and Thomas Coyle's yard in Batterstown, Co Meath, clearly knows when conditions are right to let this horse loose.

Roscommon is another happy hunting ground. Two wins from just four visits there makes it the kind of track where Merisi Diamond simply turns up and performs — a 50% win rate at a single course is genuinely rare, and it suggests something about the track's layout or distance that suits this horse down to the ground. Course specialists at that level are worth keeping an eye on every time the entries go up.

The partnership with jockey Ronan Whelan is also worth noting. In 14 races together, they've won 4 times — that's winning roughly 1 in every 3.5 rides, well above the horse's overall average. That kind of chemistry between horse and rider matters more than people outside racing often realise. When Whelan is booked, the record says pay attention.

The career began with a first win at The Curragh in October 2023, and that famous track bookended things beautifully when Merisi Diamond won there again just this week. Five wins and £74,000 in career earnings puts this horse comfortably in competitive company without quite reaching the top tier — but a horse that's winning at The Curragh, thriving in the wet, and coming back into form at seven is one that clearly still has a story left to tell.