Diamond Rain following well-worn route as she bids to get Godolphin back on Ribblesdale scoreboard

The Oaks winner is typically awarded a Racing Post Rating around 7-10lb higher than the Ribblesdale one three weeks later, yet the two races have a similar record in producing top-class fillies.

In 2023 Warm Heart went from Ribblesdale glory to success in the Yorkshire Oaks, Prix Vermeille and Pegasus World Cup. Nothing from the Oaks came close to matching her achievements, while last year's Ribblesdale third Bluestocking is operating at a similar level on RPRs as well.

A little more time for development and a more conventional track than Epsom is seen as an attractive proposition to many trainers. The only recent Ribblesdale winner who ran in the Oaks was Magic Wand in 2018 so, unsurprisingly, the market is focusing on those who were kept back with Ascot in mind.

Diamond Rain was supplemented for this after taking Newbury’s Oaks trial. She is following the same route as Warm Heart and Bluestocking last season in coming from a race that has been growing in stature since Nashwa’s victory in 2022.

After only two runs Diamond Rain’s price will be off-putting for many, particularly if last year’s Ribblesdale remains in the memory. Al Asifah was even shorter in the betting (5-6 favourite) off the back of two impressive victories but could manage only sixth, and like Diamond Rain she only made her debut in the May of that season.

Bidding to emulate Magic Wand by finishing fourth at Epsom and going three places better at the royal meeting is You Got To Me, who holds stablemate Forest Fairy (seventh) and Rubies Are Red (ninth) on Epsom form.

That was the second time You Got To Me had the measure of Rubies Are Red, although Lingfield and Epsom provide different tests to Ascot and the latter failed to handle those tracks with conviction.

Rubies Are Red (near): chased home You Got To Me in the Lingfield Oaks Trial

You Got To Me outpoints Rubies Are Red at LingfieldCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It is not impossible Rubies Are Red can reverse form with You Got To Me, while connections of Danielle, who chased the pair home in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial, may not have welcomed the recent dry period.

With the benefit of hindsight perhaps the handicapping underestimation of the season was Kalpana’s opening mark of 78. She was outpaced by Commonwealth Cup hope Inisherin in an all-weather novice before taking apart a Newmarket handicap by ten lengths.

It could be worth excusing Kalpana for her short-priced defeat in the Pretty Polly. The winner failed to frank the form in the Musidora, but clearly bounced when turned out quickly at York. The 46-day gap between races means Juddmonte's filly arrives in peak health for a new trip that should suit.
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Hoping Diamond will shine

Not all rain would be unpopular for day three at Royal Ascot and Diamond Rain could put a big smile on Godolphin faces by ending an unusual drought in one of the feature races of the week.

There was a time when Godolphin dominated this clash of top middle-distance three-year-old fillies, taking it five times in the 13 runnings between 1998 and 2010 with a winner trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori.

But that stream has dried up, so much so they have had only one runner since Wild Illusion finished second for Charlie Appleby in 2018.

Diamond Rain is bred to be a top-class filly, as a daughter of Oaks winner Dancing Rain, and she has done nothing so far to suggest she will not live up to her pedigree, leading close home on her belated debut over a mile here last month and then comfortably landing a Listed 1m2f race at Newbury just 17 days later when she won going away.

"Diamond Rain is two from two and brings some experience of Ascot into the race, while we feel that the step up to a mile and a half is going to suit," Appleby said. "She improved from her first to second run and looks to have progressed again since. It’s always a competitive contest but she heads into it in great shape."

Three chances to keep it in the family

No stable has won this race more often than the Gosdens. John took it five times when training in his own right and Loving Dream took the tally to six in 2021, the first year that son Thady's name was also on the licence.

They had Al Asifah beaten at odds-on last year but have three chances of keeping the race in the family today. All three are lightly raced and on the up, with impressive Wetherby winner Danielle continuing her progress with a good third in the Lingfield Oaks Trial last month.

Sandown debut winner Siyola should come on again for her third in Listed company at Newbury while Queens Fort takes a significant step up in class after landing a maiden at Lingfield.

Thady Gosden said: "Danielle was not in love with the track at Lingfield in the Oaks Trial last month and she has pleased at home since and should be more at home over this more traditional mile and a half. Queen's Fort won well last time at Lingfield and although she is stepping up in class we've always liked her.

"Siyola has had this on her radar since she won at Sandown in April and since then she has run well to be third over ten furlongs at Newbury. She shapes as if this step up in trip will play to her strengths."

What they say

Ralph Beckett, trainer of You Got To Me
You Got To Me ran well in the Oaks and galloped out strongly. She's a strong stayer and the mile and a half at Ascot should suit her well.

Barry Mahon, racing manager to Juddmonte. owners of Kalpana
It was always the plan to give her a break after she ran in the Pretty Polly as she started early in the year on the all-weather. Andrew Balding has freshened her up and she'll love the step up to a mile and a half. There are a lot of positives including the ground and the draw [1]. Diamond Rain looks the one to beat but we're hopeful of a big run.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Je Zous
She ran well at Naas and we'll probably ride her more patiently now that we're stepping up in distance. She should run a good race.

David O'Meara, trainer of Lava Stream
We were delighted with her at Goodwood. We thought she could be competitive and to see her quicken and win was brilliant. She's been supplemented and the extra couple of furlongs is a little bit of an unknown but I think she'll stay, she settled well and finished off her race at Goodwood.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Port Fairy & Rubies Are Red
We thought Port Fairy ran a huge race at Chester. We've had the Ribblesdale in mind for her ever since and she goes there in good form. Rubies Are Red is also in good form. They went steady early in the Oaks and she got trapped back further than ideal and never got into it. We think she's better than that.
Reporting by David Carr

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