Birkenhead

His best races tend to come on fast, dry ground, where he wins 4 from 15 races — roughly 1 in every 4 — compared to a career-wide rate of around 1 in every 7. That difference is significant. On the right surface, he is a noticeably better horse. His trainer has also made no secret of his affection for Catterick, where Birkenhead claimed his most recent win back in April 2025. Midgley has noted that the horse "really loves it there and saves his best for the track," which in racing terms is a genuine asset — a horse who finds his best form at a specific venue is one you plan your season around.

Most of his racing has come at Class 5 level, the bread-and-butter end of the sport, and at that level he wins just 1 from 29 races — roughly 1 in every 29, which tells you the competition is tight and the handicapper has his number. That is not a criticism; it is the reality of racing at that level when the weights are set to make every race competitive. His regular partner David Nolan has ridden him 19 times and won 3 of them — about 1 in every 6 rides — making him comfortably the most successful jockey in the saddle.

Midgley describes him as "a little star" who has paid his way ever since the yard bought him, and there is something genuinely likeable about a horse that has run 60 times and is still active at nine. Soundness, the trainer has said, is everything for a horse of his age — and Birkenhead keeps turning up sound. He ran just fifth at York recently, but in a race the trainer felt was beyond him on the day. No disgrace there. He raced just yesterday, and at nine years old, the fact that he is still out competing is the story in itself.