Diligent Harry to continue good work

Diligent Harry rates as the best bet on the card in the Ladbrokes 3 Year Old AllWeather Championships Conditions Stakes at Lingfield on Good Friday.

Trained by Clive Cox, Diligent Harry did not make his debut until January – but it is already clear that he is above average. A winning debut at Wolverhampton marked him down as one worth following – and while he was entitled to win next time out at Kempton, you still had to be impressed by the manner of his followup success.

Stepped up in class last time out for his handicap de but off a mark of 90, he lost his unbeaten record – but that was about all. The winner Rohaan, a far more experienced sprinter, got first run off the tight Lingfield bend and just held on as Adam Kirby and Diligent Harry closed to within a short head.

Kirby and his mount now know a bit more about each other to prevent a similar scenario – and Diligent Harry certainly looks the one in the field with the most scope to pro- gress.

In die Angel is another likely type for John and Thady Gosden in the Ladbrokes Fillies’ And Mares’ – but she can credit her lofty rating to one outstanding run at the end of last season, and there is a chance she was flattered. A more solid option could be James Tate’s Shimmering Dawn, who won her only race over course and distance to date.

The Betway Sprint looks a wide open affair, but Harry’s Bar would be a tentative selection. His last run over a mile can be forgiven, as can his performance in Saudi Arabia, and his form over six furlongs on the all-weather stands up to close scrutiny.

Rainbow Dreamer is the form pick in the Betway Marathon, but the fact he has yet to run at Lingfield just sets the alarm bells ringing slightly.

While Amtiyaz has yet to win at Ling field, he does at least have experience of its sharp turns in the first two runs of his life. Since those, he has developedinto a smart performer – winning three times – and it looks like there is still more in the locker.

While he meets some of these a long way wrong at the weights, the Gosdens would not be running if they did not think there was more to come.

The Bet way Easter Classic is short on runners, but the two that stand out are Bangkok and Forest Of Dean. Given the form of the Gosden string, preference is for the latter – who has returned as good as ever, having missed the whole of 2020.

A length behind Felix on his first run for more than 500 days, he was then three-quarters of a length behind Bangkok

in the Winter Derby Trial.

Since then Forest Of Dean has won the Winter Derby itself, beating Felix – who franked that form with a great run in Dubai – while Bangkok was down the field in the Saudi Cup.