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Dartmouth Castle

There is a horse out there that has quietly worked out exactly where it likes to race — and the results speak for themselves. Dartmouth Castle, a 6-year-old trained by Donald McCain at his yard in Cholmondeley, Cheshire, has won 2 races from just 3 visits to Sedgefield. That means it has won two-thirds of its races at that one track, which is a remarkable return for any horse at any level. For context, the overall career record reads 2 wins and 4 places from 8 races — a win rate of 25%, or roughly 1 in every 4 races — which is solid without being spectacular. But strip it back to Sedgefield alone, and this is a horse that turns up there and consistently performs.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
Quick Facts
Age
6 years old
Sex
Gelding
Colour
Bay
Father
Dartmouth
Mother
Toboggan's Fire
Owner
D McMahon
Rating
124

📊 Key Numbers

Career statistics for this horse
8
Career races
2
Wins
25%
Win rate
avg ~10%
50%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
1 days
Since last race

🔍 Full Analysis

TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
TrackLab's Detailed Breakdown
Auto-Generated

The recent form tells an interesting story too. Reading the last six runs from most recent to oldest — a non-finish, then a win, two second places, a fifth, and a fourth — what you are actually looking at is a horse that hit a rich vein earlier this year and is clearly still in good shape. That win four weeks ago at Sedgefield on 10 April 2026 was the second time the track has suited it perfectly, and the back-to-back second places either side of it suggest this is a horse racing with confidence right now. It last raced just a day ago, so it is very much in active training and being kept busy.

Jockey Theo Gillard has been a big part of the picture. Together, they have won 2 of their 5 races — that is a 40% win rate, or 2 from every 5 rides, which is genuinely impressive numbers for a horse-and-jockey partnership. There is clearly a connection there worth noting.

Donald McCain's yard has had a productive season, sending out 55 winners, so this is a well-run operation that knows how to place a horse where it can win. One small puzzle: Dartmouth Castle has raced four times at Class 4 level — one rung below the very top — and has not won any of those. All its wins have come in different circumstances. That suggests the team knows exactly where to aim it, and Sedgefield keeps coming up as the answer. If you ever spot this horse declared for that track, it is worth paying attention.

Strengths & Risks

What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
Effective partnership with Theo Gillard: 40% win rate together

🎯 Where This Horse Thrives

Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Good (firm-ish)
Soft (muddy)
Unknown
Good to firm (drying out)
Unknown
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
📏 Race Distance
Long Distance (2M+)
1M6F – 2M
Unknown
🏅 Competition Level
Class 4 (standard)
Avoids
Class 5 (entry-level)
Unknown
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, tight turns
Loves
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, long straights
Avoids

📅 Recent Runs

The last 10 races, most recent first
6 May
DNF
Kelso
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 3 runners
10 Apr
🏆 Won
Sedgefield
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 5 runners
14 Mar
2nd
Newcastle
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft · 10 runners
18 Feb
2nd
Ludlow
1m6f – 2m · Soft · 12 runners
27 Dec
5th
Wetherby
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 12 runners
30 Sep
4th
Sedgefield
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 9 runners
13 May
🏆 Won
Sedgefield
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Firm · 5 runners
14 Mar
6th
Doncaster
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 7 runners

🏇 Jockey Partnerships

Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
Theo Gillard Current Jockey
40%
Win rate
2/5
Won / Rode
Charlie Maggs
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode

🏟 Track Record

Win rate at each course this horse has visited
CourseRacesResultsLast visitedWin rate
Sedgefield
Sharp
3 2 wins, 1 other 10 Apr 66.7%
Wetherby
Galloping
1 1 other 27 Dec 0%
Doncaster
Galloping
1 1 other 14 Mar 0%
Newcastle
Galloping
1 1 second 14 Mar 0%
Ludlow
Undulating
1 1 second 18 Feb 0%
Kelso
Undulating
1 1 other 6 May 0%