Nap of the Day: 4/1 Diamond to shine at Catterick

Tuesday's 5/2 winner was very welcome after an interrupted start to the year, and I hope to build on it at Catterick 24 hours later as another horse chasing their first-ever victory is selected as the Nap of the Day.

'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride' has been the theme of DIAMOND KODA's career so far.

Nick Kent's six-year-old has raced eight times and finished runner-up on six of those occasions. The other two instances? Unseated and third.

That DNF aside, the son of Diamond Boy has shown promise in every single one of his runs, but he's yet to enter the winners' enclosure.

I thought his third at Carlisle last November was a solid return to action. Despite jumping markedly left around the right-handed track, he was only three-and-a-half lengths off the winner Disco Annie at the finish.

That rival, rated 99 at the time, won her subsequent start and was put up a further three pounds (to 109) as a result, before a respectable effort in Listed company at Newbury. Relatively decent form, then.

Diamond Koda then went to Market Rasen on Boxing Day and, despite being sent off 5/6f, once again failed to land that elusive first victory. However, it was a similar story as he jumped out to his left throughout and found one too good in Olly Murphy's Jackpot d'Ainay.

I thought it was another encouraging effort, staying-on to be just over a length behind the winner who's been handed an opening mark of 111, given the ground conceded at nearly every flight.

That tendency to jump left will be less of a hinderance here, going the 'right' way round, and I fancy he'll enjoy the step up to 2m3½f. He's certainly been shaping like he'll get further, doing his best work at the business end of his races.

I also think there's juice in his mark of 108. That's only two pounds higher than when third in the aforementioned race at Carlisle that's since been franked.

With the greatest respect to his 11 rivals, this looks a good opportunity for the selection to break his duck. It's last chance saloon, though.

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