Ata Rangi

The key to Ata Rangi seems to be getting the conditions right. On normal ground, he has won 2 of his 4 races — that is a 50% win rate, which is exceptional by any measure. Similarly, his favourite trip of seven furlongs to a mile suits him down to the ground: three wins from five races at that distance, or 60%, tells you he has a very specific sweet spot, and when his trainer targets it, the results follow. Ed Walker, who trains out of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, clearly knows his horse well. Speaking in April, Walker described him as "a really solid horse" who is best at seven furlongs, and his record backs that up entirely. Walker's yard has sent out 80 winners this season alone, so this is a serious, well-organised operation with a horse in good hands.

Ata Rangi opened his account at Roscommon in October 2024, and has just added to that tally with a win at Haydock Park earlier this week — the track where Walker had also won with him before. That Haydock victory is particularly worth noting: it is one of the better venues in the north of England, and winning there is no fluke. His recent run of form reads 1-5-5-7-1-2 — two wins bookending a quieter mid-section — which is the shape of a horse who goes quiet for a spell and then clicks back into gear. At his best distance, on decent ground, for a trainer firing on all cylinders, Ata Rangi looks like a horse with more to come this season.