Alpine Girl

The most striking thing about Alpine Girl is how well she performs when the ground suits her. On dry ground she has won 3 from 7 races — that is 43%, nearly every other time out — and on normal ground it is 3 from 9, or 33%. Those numbers are well above her overall average, and they tell you something simple and useful: when conditions are fast or normal, she becomes a very different proposition. Trainer Julie Camacho, who operates a busy and successful yard in Norton, North Yorkshire — 46 winners already this season — has noted that Alpine Girl needs either a stiff five furlongs up a hill or the extra distance of six furlongs to show her best. She stays on well rather than blazing away early, so a flat, easy track at the wrong trip can make her look ordinary.

She arrived at Camacho's yard having previously been trained by James Fanshawe, for whom she won four times. Her first career win came at Lingfield Park in June 2023, and that course remains a happy hunting ground — she has won 2 of her 4 races there, which is a remarkable record and worth remembering next time she is declared there. Most of her racing has been at Class 5 level, where she has won 9% of her races (2 from 22) — competitive without being dominant. That career earnings figure keeps her in honest company rather than chasing the biggest prizes, but she is clearly a horse who knows how to win.

Ross Coakley is her most regular jockey, though their partnership has produced just 1 win from 8 races together. The trainer believes there may be a little more to come from Alpine Girl, and recent form backs that up: two wins in her last six races suggests a horse who has found a second wind rather than one winding down.