Court At Slip

The most interesting chapter is written at Newcastle. Of Court At Slip's five career wins, three have come at that single track, from just six attempts there. Winning half your races at one venue is not a coincidence — it suggests a horse that genuinely suits the course, whether that is the shape of the track, the type of ground it tends to offer, or simply the feel of the place. Newcastle is where this horse has done its best work, and anyone keeping an eye on it knows to sit up when that fixture comes around.

The partnership with Mr William Easterby — son of trainer Tim — is another thread worth following. Across 19 races together, the pair have won five times, a win rate of 26%, or roughly 1 in every 4. For context, Court At Slip wins just 1 in 6 overall, so that figure with Easterby in the saddle is meaningfully better. Whether it is familiarity, trust, or simply that Easterby tends to be booked when conditions suit the horse, the numbers make a clear case.

The honest part of the picture is that Court At Slip has not won since December 2023 — that is 29 months without a victory — and its last six runs read 6th, pulled up, pulled up, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, which includes two abandoned efforts that suggest things have not always gone smoothly. Racing at Class 4, the fourth tier of British racing, is a solid level for a horse of its profile, and it has won 3 of its 17 races at that grade, or about 1 in 6.

With 126 winners already on the board this season, the Easterby yard is clearly in sharp form, and Court At Slip raced just yesterday, so it is firmly in the mix. The question now is whether a return to Newcastle — the one place it has consistently performed — can unlock that winning feeling again after a long wait.