Combustion

The broader career numbers back it up. Combustion has won 6 of his 15 races — that's a 40% win rate, or roughly two wins from every five outings — which is a genuinely strong return. Most horses at this level win far less often. He also placed in 8 of the remaining 9 races, meaning he has finished out of the frame just once across his entire career. He is, in short, a horse that almost always turns up and competes.

His best work comes at Class 6 level, the entry point of the sport, where he has won 5 of his 8 races — nearly two in every three. That might sound modest, but consistency at any level is hard to manufacture, and a 62% win rate at his most common grade tells you this is a horse that belongs in the races he runs in, rather than one that's being dropped down to find easy pickings. He scored his first career win at Wolverhampton in January 2025 and has kept adding to his tally steadily since.

The partnership with jockey Joey Haynes has been a key part of that story. The pair have raced together 14 times and won 6 of them — that's a 43% win rate together, which is remarkable by any measure. When Haynes is in the saddle, Combustion wins almost half his races. That kind of chemistry between horse and jockey is exactly what trainers spend years building.

Trainer Chelsea Banham, based at Cowlinge in Suffolk, has sent out 8 winners already this season, and Combustion is clearly one of her most reliable performers. He raced just one day ago and is very much in active training. With his last win coming at Lingfield in February and that unbeaten record at the track still intact, the yard will surely have one eye on getting him back there. Why argue with perfection?