Below The Radar

The last victory arrived at Uttoxeter in March 2024 — now 25 months ago — and jockey Freddie Gingell was complimentary afterwards, calling him tough and versatile, and noting that while raw pace is not exactly his strongest suit, he has the attitude and the grit to get the job done when conditions fall right. That combination of toughness and consistency is exactly what makes a horse like this useful at Class 3 level, where he has won 1 from 5 races in that grade.

The more recent form picture is harder to dress up. Six races without a win, with a string of third-place finishes dominating the last half-dozen runs, suggests a horse that is competitive but not quite finding that extra gear at the moment. Paul Nicholls, who trains Below The Radar from his powerhouse yard at Ditcheat in Somerset — a yard that has sent out 92 winners already this season — has spoken candidly about a difficult spell last season that affected several horses without anyone being able to fully identify the cause. He did note, though, that Below The Radar showed considerably more promise in his final two runs of that period, which at least gives the team something encouraging to build on.

Harry Cobden, one of the sport's leading jockeys and the man most closely associated with the Nicholls yard, has partnered Below The Radar in 6 of his 14 races, winning once together. With the horse still active — he raced just yesterday — this is clearly a campaign in progress. The wins may have dried up for now, but a horse trained by one of Britain's most successful yards, with a habit of finishing in the places, is rarely far from a good day.