Neon Diamond

Trained by Gordon Elliott out of Longwood, Co Meath, Neon Diamond is in one of the most powerful yards in Irish racing. Elliott's team has sent out an extraordinary 209 winners already this season — a number that speaks to an operation running at full throttle. Jack Kennedy, one of Ireland's leading jockeys, has been the regular partner, teaming up with Neon Diamond in 7 of its 15 races and winning once together — a rate of roughly 1 in every 7 rides.

The most recent win came at Killarney on 18 July 2025, and before that, the first career success arrived at Limerick back in April 2024. Two wins at two different tracks suggests this isn't a horse that needs any one particular course to shine — but it does suggest the wins have been hard to come by, separated by a gap of over a year. The last six runs read 4–blank–blank–2–5–5 in reverse order, meaning Neon Diamond has gone six races without winning. A couple of blanks in that sequence hint at races where things didn't go to plan, but the placed efforts keep the horse honest. Fifth place twice and a second all suggest Neon Diamond is still in the mix, just not finding that extra gear when it matters most.

Raced just one day ago, this is a horse very much in the thick of its season. Whether a third career win is around the corner is hard to say — but for a seven-year-old trained by a yard producing winners at an almost industrial rate, the belief will still be there that the right race is coming. With Elliott saddling over 200 winners this term, when he keeps sending a horse out, it's usually for a reason.