Dashing Dick

The most striking thing about this 8-year-old is his record at Newmarket. Three of his four career wins have come at the same track, from 20 races there. That's 15% at a course where plenty of good horses never win at all, and it suggests Newmarket suits something about the way he travels and finishes — the long, flat straights, the fast ground, the big open spaces. When William Stone's yard at West Wickham loads Dashing Dick onto the horsebox pointing towards Newmarket, they know they are giving themselves a real chance. His most recent win came there on 1 November 2025, just seven months ago.

His record on slightly wet or muddy ground is even more eye-catching: 2 wins from just 4 races, meaning he's won half his races in those conditions. For context, his overall win rate is 4 from 44 — roughly 1 in every 11 races. On soft ground, that jumps to 1 in 2. That is a massive difference, and it tells you that when rain arrives before a Newmarket card, Dashing Dick becomes genuinely interesting.

Jockey Kieran Shoemark brings out the best in him too. Together they've won 3 of their 9 races — that's 1 in every 3, compared to the horse's overall 1 in 11. That combination clearly works, and when Shoemark is booked at Newmarket on a damp day over five or six furlongs, everything is lining up. His first career win came at Leicester back in April 2022, but Newmarket is where he has made himself at home.

He raced just yesterday, so he's very much in the thick of his campaign right now. Stone's yard has already sent out 10 winners this season, which speaks to a team in decent form. Dashing Dick will never be mistaken for a star, but he's a horse who knows exactly what he's doing over a short trip on wet turf at his favourite track — and at Class 4 level, that kind of reliable specialist can be very hard to beat when the stars align.