Bucephalus

His record tells an interesting story when you look at it by conditions. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 3 of 12 races — that is 25%, or roughly 1 in every 4 — which is a noticeably better return than his overall career average of about 1 in every 7. Trainer Neil Mulholland has clocked this too, noting that Bucephalus has handled soft ground before and that his flat-racing background always gave him the potential to win on it. Mulholland's yard, based at Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, has sent out 60 winners this season alone, so when he spots something in a horse, it tends to be worth paying attention to.

The partnership with jockey Harriet Tucker is one of the more compelling angles here. In 9 races together, they have won 3 — that is 1 in every 3, which is a remarkable hit rate given the horse's overall career average. Tucker herself has spoken warmly about how straightforward he is to ride, saying he keeps responding when you ask him and that he is simply "a pleasure." Mulholland adds that riding him more prominently — getting him out in front early — has made a real difference, solving a problem where he was pulling too hard and not seeing races out.

His recent six-run sequence reads 14th, 3rd, 1st, a blank, 2nd, 4th — messy in places, but with clear flashes of quality in there. The trainer mentioned a minor injury setback after a run at Chepstow, which explains some of the rougher results, and there has been talk of switching him to fences at some point, where his jumping ability might unlock another level. For now, he raced just one day ago, so the picture will become clearer very soon. At nine, Bucephalus is not a young horse, but he is an active, competitive, and genuinely interesting one.