Betweenthesticks

What makes Betweenthesticks genuinely valuable to his the yard is his course form. At Wolverhampton, he has won three of seven races, a win rate of nearly 43% that stands out starkly against his overall record. That is the mark of a horse who genuinely suits a particular track, perhaps because of the surface or the way it sits. On normal, standard ground conditions, he also flourishes: four wins from 12 races, a 33% success rate that shows he performs best when the going is neither too soft nor too hard. Trainer Ruth Carr, based in North Yorkshire, has clearly found the right races and conditions for him, and her yard has been in fine form this season with 56 winners already.

The partnership between Betweenthesticks and jockey James Sullivan has been particularly fruitful. In 15 races together, Sullivan has steered him to four wins — a 27% return that is well above the horse's overall average. This suggests that a good jockey-and-horse fit can make a real difference. Carr has spoken fondly of him as a genuine, straightforward horse who has been "really fun for his owners", and rightly so: a career earning of consistent placed finishes alongside his 10 wins marks him out as a dependable performer rather than a fluke winner. With the right conditions and the right ride, Betweenthesticks remains competitive.