Yes, the Diamond Mile is done and dusted for a second time, and the winners are being toasted for their achievement of mining diamonds for a second consecutive year.

We as racing fans and those in charge of the sport must pause to appreciate the effects of the Diamond Mile on racing professionals and generally on the sport of horse racing.

There is no doubt that the Diamond Mile race day is something really special and one which plays a significant role in generating interest in what many, especially over the last five years, consider to be the moribund endeavour of horse racing.

The Diamond Mile creates positive excitement with its promotions, and of course the increase in purses on the day makes trainers and others within the fraternity painstakingly prepare their horses to compete on the day. Winning any race on Diamond Mile Day, as one trainer said Рwhether a $180,000 claiming race or the Diamond Mile itself, reaps great rewards and is a cherished notch on the r̩sum̩ of any jockey, trainer and owner.

We must always give credit where it is due, and former chairman of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Gary Peart is to be commended for not only having the vision to create a Diamond Mile race day but having the will and tenacity to push through an idea which did not find favour with many at the embryonic stage of its development. The concept was new, it required spending a lot of money, but Peart worked creatively to get sponsors to come on board, and the Diamond Mile was off and running. Kudos also to the present BGLC chairman Clovis Metcalfe and his team for continuing the process without a murmur.

As with anything new, the Diamond Mile has to be consistently reviewed with the ultimate aim of making it better and even more attractive for all concerned, including the sponsors.

One consideration this writer places on the table for discussion is reducing the number of races on offer. Last year on the Diamond Mile race day there were 14 races, so too this year, with a 10:00 am start on both occasions. The betting on the first three to four races is always very slow and low, and one really has to wonder if all these races on a single day are necessary. The suggestion is to limit the number of races to a maximum of 12 and to use the purse money from the two lost races to prop up the purses of the other races. Food for thought.

Next comes the method of selecting horses for the final Diamond Mile field. The commissioners at the BGLC and JRC, in doing their assessment of the 2016 Diamond Mile race day, have to give due consideration to the system used to decide horses competing in the race. The introduction this year of giving automatic entry to the winners of the Derby, the Superstakes, the Invitational Mile and the Caribbean Sprint Championship races should stay in place. There is no problem with that rule, but the other entrants must be decided using a different format.

The suggested format is to adopt the one used to decide the 20 stall assignments for the Kentucky Derby. Points are allotted to horses based on the type of races they win or place in. For example, the winner of a Grade One race receives 20 points, second 15, third 10 and fourth five (for the purposes of this article these are mere suggested numbers) compared with the winner of, say, a three-year-old maiden race getting 10 points, second six points, third three points and fourth one point. The rationale here is that more points are awarded to the winners of the more highly rated races.

If we are firm in the belief that the Diamond Mile is here to stay, then let us make the necessary changes to make it even better because, make no bones about it, the Diamond Mile makes a palpably difference to all concerned. Congratulations to all the winning connections on the second Diamond Mile race day.

More anon.