Ararat

The high point came on a summer evening at Chelmsford in August 2024, when Ararat won a Class 2 race — one of the top tier of races in Britain — on the all-weather track. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why they stuck with him. His trainer noted afterwards that he had produced a seriously fast time, and spoke openly about a horse who has always had the ability but has let the yard down more often than not. That kind of honesty from a trainer tells you something: this is not a horse people have given up on, but he is one who has tested their patience.

His two wins at Southwell from five visits there make him a minor course specialist — winning 2 from 5 at one track, when his overall average is 1 from every 6, is a meaningful gap, not a coincidence. It suggests something about the surface or the shape of the track suits him. The most recent of those Southwell wins came in October 2025, which is now seven months ago, and his last six races have produced no wins at all — his placings have crept up the board just enough to suggest he is still competitive, without quite finding the finishing kick to matter.

The yard at Liphook has sent out 7 winners this season, so this is a small, active operation that knows how to get a horse ready. Jamie Spencer, who has ridden him five times and won once together with him, is a jockey with plenty of experience of horses who need things to fall right on the day. The clue from the owner's team is useful: German-bred horses often prefer testing ground, but Ararat is the exception — he wants it fast and dry, or on the artificial surface. Get the conditions wrong and you likely get a mid-field finish. Get them right, and you might still see the horse his trainer has always suspected is in there somewhere.