Burdett Road

What makes Burdett Road genuinely interesting is that he has won at the highest level. He claimed two Class 1 victories in the space of eight weeks in late 2024—at Newmarket in September and then again at Cheltenham in November—showing he belongs among the best horses in training. Yet he has not won a race in his last six outings, raced just one day ago, and is now searching for form at a much tougher end of the handicap. That recent slump is real, but it does not erase a pattern: when the conditions suit him and Owen gets the tactics right, Burdett Road is genuinely dangerous.

His partnership with jockey Harry Cobden tells a useful story. The two have teamed up five times, and Cobden has won three of those rides—a 60% win rate that stands far above Burdett Road's overall average. That is the kind of synergy that matters in racing. Owen has also shown he is willing to experiment: he has tried Burdett Road on the Flat between his jumping campaigns, and both the trainer and his the yard have made tactical adjustments when earlier runs have disappointed. Cheltenham is clearly his spiritual home—he has won 2 of 5 races there—and Owen is already plotting his next assault at the track. For a horse that has earned £74,000 in his career, Burdett Road remains a genuine contender on his day, provided the mud comes and the ground does not race firm.