Paul Kealy's play of the day at Ascot

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Deedaydiva

She was, admittedly, a little disappointing when only third on her reappearance at Nottingham last month, but she was weak in the market (touched 100-30, went off 11-2) and shaped very much like the run was needed (traded at just above evens before getting tired).

A minimum three runs is the requirement to come here, though, and with that ticked off we can hopefully expect better now she goes handicapping off a mark of 88 – the way her two juvenile races worked out certainly makes her interesting off such a rating.

In the first on quick ground she was an unconsidered 33-1 shot, but ran an eye-catching third behind Zanthos, who finished the season rated 111, while next time she was a cosy two-length winner at Sandown (soft).

The runner-up that day beat the William Haggas-trained Morshdi (also 111 now) next time, before running a close fourth in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day at Longchamp, while the third, fourth and fifth have all won since.

It is obviously not remotely unusual for horses who run in maidens to improve past those who have finished in front of them, and Deedaydiva needs to progress, but she's certainly tempting at around the 7-1 mark.