Arctician

Away from Kempton, the picture is considerably more modest. Arctician competes most often at Class 4 level — the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, a step below the prestige events — and at that level has managed just 1 win from 29 races, which works out to roughly 1 in every 29 attempts. That is a thin return, and it tells you that this is a horse who needs things to fall just right. When they do, and when the venue is Kempton, the results speak for themselves.

The partnership with jockey Paddy Bradley is the one most likely to unlock the best of Arctician. In 23 races together, they have combined for 4 wins — a win rate of around 1 in every 6 rides, which comfortably beats the horse's overall career average of 1 in every 7. Bradley clearly knows what makes this horse tick. Trainer Simon Dow, based at Epsom in Surrey, has had 14 winners out of the yard so far this season, suggesting a stable in decent form.

Across 57 career races, Arctician has won 8 and placed 21 more times, earning a cheque in well over half its starts in total. The first win came at Wolverhampton back in December 2021, and the horse has kept racing consistently ever since — it ran just yesterday, so there is nothing wrong with the enthusiasm of the team around it. Recent form reads 7-4-3-4-1-9 from the last six races, that solo win sitting pleasingly in the middle of the sequence. At eight years old, Arctician is not getting younger, but horses with a course like Kempton in their pocket tend to keep finding reasons to go back.