Sparkle Diamond, Trevor’s Choice set for showdown Sunday

SPARKLE DIAMOND makes his much-anticipated return in Sunday's eighth event, one of his 12 opponents being none other than TREVOR'S CHOICE, who, coincidentally, hasn't raced since winning the dramatic event that snapped his foreign rival's three-race win streak in February.

Both speedsters have been blazing on the exercise track and are drawn alongside each other in the five-and-a-half furlong sprint. The rematch has long been in the making and similar exercise gallops, two days apart, adds to the anticipation.

TREVOR'S CHOICE, hunting a hat-trick of wins, had dramatically lowered SPARKLE DIAMOND's colours on February 22, tracking his rival down the backstretch before what sounded like an injury caused Simon Husbands to ease the foreigner in the stretch run.

Fourth straight victory

The defeat cost SPARKLE DIAMOND a fourth straight victory, coming off a six-month lay-up. When he returned another six months later, August of this year, though moving well at exercise, he came up short at six furlongs and was cut down close home by ACTION RUN.

Returning off another lay-up, four months on this occasion, SPARKLE DIAMOND, touted as a Diamond Mile candidate last year, has questions to answer of him being sparingly raced but there is no doubting his speed and ability.

Though hardly seen at exercise, he still managed to blaze five and a half furlongs in 1:05.3 last Friday. TREVOR'S CHOICE responded two days later with 1:05.4, looking easier, the railbirds claim, than SPARKLE DIAMOND.

TREVOR'S CHOICE has been far busier at exercise, preparing for his return but has been off for almost 10 months, COVID-19 break included, and returns with topweight 126lb, sitting level with race-fit runners such as UNIVERSAL BOSS.

The respective lay-ups make both TREVOR'S CHOICE and SPARKLE DIAMOND suspect, giving rise to the likes of UNIVERSAL BOSS and former Sprint champion, CHACE THE GREAT, neither of whom will hesitate to make the speedsters pay should they falter in the stretch run.