SWINTON DIAMOND.
03 March 2011
Dubai Destination-Absent Beauty
Owner-Mr & Mrs I P Earnshaw.
Swinton Diamond started his racing career in the hands of Worcester trainer Ian Williams, making his racecourse debut in a Market Rasen bumper in October 2015, keeping on, but ultimately being beaten 18 lengths into seventh place. His second run was also in bumper company at Uttoxeter, but he probably floundered in the heavy ground, trailing in sixth of the 14 runners. He had a break until March 2016, when making his hurdles debut at Doncaster, and although last of three was only beaten around eight lengths, despite whipping around at the start.He would have three more runs for the Williams yard, including his handicap debut off a mark of 108, but he failed to cut much ice in any.
The horses owners Mr and Mrs Earnshaw transferred the horse to Micky at the start of 2017, and his first two appearances for us at Sedgefield, and Wetherby didn't suggest that a win was imminent, but things did click into place at Market Rasen in May,when from a new low mark of 92, Swinton Diamond, under his new regular pilot Joe Colliver, came home in front by half a length, from the Mark Walford trained Cape Hideaway.In his next race at Cartmel in early July, he probably bettered that run when finishing second, from his revised mark of 99.
Swinton Diamond has been unlucky with injury, and after that run was away from the track for 11 months. He showed very little in three runs on his return, including his chase debut, but in October 2018 at Carlisle, under Alain Cawley, he was once again back in the winners enclosure, when winning for the first time over fences. That should have set him up nicely for a successful season, but once again he was beset by injury, and would not race again for the next 20 months.
He returned at Southwell in August 2020, but he was always struggling, and was pulled up by Alain Cawley before the ninth. In his next start at Hexham in September, he fell at the second fence, and in October at Sedgefield, he finished last of the six. His final two starts were in October, and November of 2020, where he was pulled up on both occasions. Although he is officially a veteran at the age of 10, he only raced on 20 occasions, but he did win twice, once over hurdles, and once over fences, and surely he would have added to that tally given a more fair roll of the dice.
Like all our other retired horses, Swinton Diamond is guaranteed a loving home for the rest of his days.