Dashing Dick

The real key to Dashing Dick's success is the pairing with jockey Kieran Shoemark. When Shoemark is in the saddle, the horse wins roughly one race in every three outings — a rate of 33%, which is extraordinary compared to its overall 8% win rate. That is not coincidence. Shoemark rode Dashing Dick to three of its four career wins across nine races together, suggesting the jockey knows exactly how to get the best from this particular animal. Trainer William Stone, based at West Wickham in Cambridgeshire, has overseen those wins, though the yard's ten winners this season shows Stone is managing a fairly small operation.

Ground conditions matter hugely for Dashing Dick. On slightly soft, muddy ground, the horse wins one race in every two attempts — a 50% win rate across four races that stands in stark contrast to its overall record. Fast, dry ground brings out the worst in it. At shorter distances, particularly over five and a half to six and a half furlongs, Dashing Dick has won 3 of 22 races, suggesting it gets the most out of itself in fast-paced, punchy races rather than long slogs. It competes mainly in Class 4 races — the lower tiers of British racing — where it has won 4 of 36 attempts. Dashing Dick last won at Newmarket on November 1st, 2025, a full ten months ago. With no wins in its last six races and the horse still actively racing, the question now is whether another victory is coming, or whether this eight-year-old has simply run out of luck.