Aimeric

Where Aimeric comes alive is on fast, dry ground. On normal conditions he has won four of thirteen races—a respectable thirty-one per cent win rate—but throw him onto wet or muddy ground and he simply does not perform. His trainer, Jennie Candlish at Basford, Staffs, has been consistently clear about this: he thrives when conditions are quick and firm. The timing of his victories bears this out. His win at Lingfield came in May, when the ground was at its fastest, and his previous Class 2 success at Beverley arrived in September 2023. His first win, back in July 2022 at Chester, also came during the kind of weather that produces the ground he craves.

Jack Mitchell, his most regular pilot, has ridden him in six races and won on him three times—a fifty per cent win rate that speaks to their understanding. After that Lingfield victory, Mitchell noted that Aimeric prefers not to arrive at the front too early; he needs a rider who can time his challenge. The horse has genuine ability, but his recent drought of near-misses—four fourth-place finishes in his last six races—suggests he may be looking for easier company or, more likely, simply waiting for the kind of ground conditions that suit him. Come the dry months, Aimeric is a horse worth keeping an eye on.