Too Many Diamonds wins fourth race in eight days

Too Many Diamonds continued his astonishing run of form with victory in the B Eyre & Son Ltd Ford Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen - his fourth win in the space of eight days.

Trained by Dan Skelton, who claimed the eight-year-old in a seller at Taunton in April for #6,000, he started his winning spree at Plumpton on May 14, before following up two days later at Sedgefield and then scoring at Bangor on Saturday.

Sent off the 8-11 favourite for his latest engagement, he came home two and a quarter lengths clear of Hear The Chimes under the trainer's brother, Harry.

He holds a number of entries in the coming week, and his rider told Racing UK: "Going across the line I gave him a big pat, and he deserves it - he's an incredible little horse. To do that, to be sound enough and tough enough, all credit to the horse.

"Dan has placed him tremendously well. You need a good team behind you and they leave no stone unturned, he came back from Bangor and had a hard enough race on slower ground than he probably wanted and ate up everything.

"Tom Messenger was out with him at 6.30am, gave him his feed, he ate up, went out in the field for an hour and a half and came in, got on the lorry and came here. He's a remarkable little horse, everyone has played their part in getting him here, but full credit to Dan."

He added: "Dan is on the ball and has got him in over fences at Hexham on Tuesday, back off 72 which obviously looks highly appealing, but we want to do the right thing by the horse and he won't be going there unless he is 110 per cent.

"You've got to be brave to do what he's done, and he's done it well."

Making the story of Too Many Diamonds even more remarkable is the fact he was winless in 41 starts before his Plumpton triumph.

As well as two entries Hexham on Tuesday, he is in two races at Huntingdon the same afternoon, before Southwell on Wednesday and Worcester on Friday.