Orange Diamond

The overall career picture is solid without being flashy. Four wins and eight places from 18 races, with a win rate of roughly 1 in every 4 to 5 outings, is a respectable return for a horse competing mostly at Class 5 level — the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, where dependable horses earn their keep week in, week out. Orange Diamond has won all four of its career races at that level, taking 4 from 14 at Class 5, a win rate of 29%. The team at T Ellis's yard in Rugby have had a productive season, sending out 24 winners, and Orange Diamond has been a consistent contributor.

Recent form is genuinely encouraging. The last six runs read 2-3-1-2-4-1, which translates as: almost always competitive, rarely out of the frame. Two wins in that spell, including a Christmas Day victory at Market Rasen on 26 December, points to a horse in good heart. That Market Rasen win came about four months ago, so the team will be hoping to find another moment like it soon.

One curiosity worth noting: regular jockey Richard Patrick has ridden Orange Diamond seven times without a win between them, a 0 from 7 record that is difficult to ignore. That is not necessarily anyone's fault — partnerships take time, tracks vary, and sometimes the numbers just don't fall. But it does mean Orange Diamond's wins have come with others in the saddle, which is a detail worth watching. On ground that suits — either slightly soft or normal conditions, where it has won 2 from 6 on each — and especially back at Worcester, this horse has shown it knows exactly how to win. Whether it can do so again is the next question.