Owner/trainer Cawley wins with Chosen Diamond Chosen Diamond (9/2) gained a belated first hurdle success today as the nine-year-old was a good battling winner of Fairyhouse’s concluding Bobbyjo Day February 22nd Handicap Hurdle (Div II), scoring for owner/trainer Eddie Cawley and jockey Philip Byrnes. Chosen Diamond’s only previous success came in a November 2023 Naas handicap chase and, in today’s race, rallied well on the run-in to edge his head ahead of Kingkong Ciergues near the line. Well-supported Next Stop Paris (2/1 — 6/4f) had pulled hard in the race prior to a third-last flight fall. Winning owner/trainer Cawley later commented “we’re a long time trying to get his head in front over hurdles and he’s not a baby at this stage. I was saying if he wasn’t in the frame today we’d just got back chasing as we might have some chance. “He works well but has disappointed us a few days although was unlucky last year on a couple of days. “Philip Byrnes gave him a great spin today and actually beat him two runs, so he knew what he was riding. He kept him out on a bit of the fresher ground as along the rail it was very tacky and chopped up in there. He really had to empty the tank from the last home to get there. I didn’t think he was going to get there but it’s great to get it. “There is no plan but we’ll find something for him.” Quotes from Gary Carson
