Certainly Red

The highest point came at Sandown Park on 10 November 2024, when Certainly Red won a Class 2 race — one of the better races in the country. Winning at that level takes real quality, and it puts this horse in a different bracket from most. At Class 2 overall, the record reads 1 win from 7 races, which sounds modest, but getting placed repeatedly at that standard while being 12 years old tells its own story. This is not a horse that flinches at good company.

The partnership with jockey Marc Goldstein is worth noting. In 20 races together, Goldstein has been aboard for all 6 wins — a win rate of 30%, or roughly 3 in every 10 races. That is a meaningful number, and it suggests the two have developed a real understanding. When Goldstein is in the saddle, things tend to go right.

Certainly Red also has a particular fondness for Wincanton, winning 2 of just 4 races there. Two wins from four visits at any track is the kind of record that makes a trainer circle it on the calendar — it hints at a horse that genuinely suits the track, whether that's the shape of the course, the ground it tends to produce, or simply familiarity.

Recent form reads 3-4-2-1 going back from a run-out, which shows a horse still very much in the mix at this level. Last raced just 22 days ago, Certainly Red is active and evidently still fit and motivated. For a 12-year-old competing in top-tier British racing, that alone deserves a moment of appreciation. Most horses this age have long since retired. This one is still turning up and finishing in the frame.