Castan

The sweet spot is short, sharp sprint races — distances under five furlongs, where there is no room to hide and raw speed is everything. Over those distances, Castan has won 2 from 6 races, which works out at 1 in every 3, a noticeably better return than its overall average. It also much prefers normal ground rather than extremes of wet or dry, winning 5 of its 21 races on standard conditions. That 24% win rate on good ground — roughly 1 in 4 — tells you this is a horse that does its best work when the track suits it, not one that performs the same regardless.

The place Castan seems most at home is Southwell, a track in Nottinghamshire known for its all-weather surface. Two wins from just 6 visits makes it a genuine course specialist there, and the most recent of those came only six weeks ago, in April 2026. That is not ancient history — this horse is in form right now, having raced just yesterday, and its last six runs include two second places, a first, and a fourth. After a couple of quiet efforts, it is clearly back in the mix.

A big part of the Castan story is jockey Paul Mulrennan. When the two have teamed up — 14 times in total — they have won together 5 times. That is a win rate of 36%, more than double Castan's overall average. In racing terms, that is a combination that clearly works, and it is the sort of partnership that makes a trainer sit up and take notice. Bryan Smart, who trains the horse from his yard at Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire, has sent out 19 winners this season alone, so this is a stable in decent nick. Castan first won back in July 2022 at Musselburgh and has kept on winning ever since — a horse that knows its job and keeps on doing it.