Diamond aiming for Magnolia compensation

Sylvester Kirk is hoping Sri Diamond can compensate for missing the Winter Derby by lifting Saturday’s Intercasino.co.uk Magnolia Stakes at Kempton.

The seven-year-old has proved a revelation on the all-weather surfaces in recent seasons and his whole campaign had been geared around a repeat bid for the Lingfield showpiece.

However, he had to miss the Group Three event with a bruised foot, from which he has now recovered, and he will head to Kempton looking for redemption.

“He’s in great form and he looks well so it’s just a case of how he is going to run,” said Kirk.

“He had to miss about four days with his injury and I maybe could have done with another week but that would have only been one more piece of work.

“There seems to be a lot of horses starting off their season which has slightly forced my hand into running him.

“I was absolutely gutted he had to miss the Winter Derby.

“His whole season had been built around the race and the way it was run would have really suited us.

“Sometimes you can’t win with horses. If I had run him all season he may have got to the Winter Derby but I decided to save him for the race and he missed it. That’s racing I suppose.”