Call My Bluff

That one win came at Newbury on 17 April 2026, just three weeks ago, and it appears to have been a long time coming. Trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis, who operates out of Lambourn in Berkshire and has sent out 10 winners already this season, has spoken openly about needing wet, soft ground to get the best out of Call My Bluff. After the Goodwood run, he was direct about it: the team had been waiting for the right conditions, knew the horse would stay two miles and love the mud, and when everything lined up, it worked out well. That is not a trainer making excuses — that is a yard that knows exactly what it has and when to deploy it.

The trickier part of Call My Bluff's story is that he has been running primarily in Class 2 races — among the top contests in Britain — and has drawn a blank there across six attempts. Zero wins from six tries at that level. That is a tough ask for any horse, and it explains why the overall numbers look modest. He has essentially been competing against some of the best horses around, without the conditions he thrives in. Ffrench Davis once floated the idea of the Ascot Stakes as the perfect race for him, pointing to his course form and his preference for soft ground — high ambition for a horse with one career win, but perhaps not unreasonable if the rain arrives.

What is particularly intriguing is the trainer's mention that jumping may be on the horizon. Call My Bluff is described as a big, lovely horse, and Ffrench Davis believes he will do well when he switches codes. Given how long it took to unlock him on the flat, it will be worth keeping an eye on where this horse ends up next.