Escapeandevade

The clearest pattern in his record is what happens when the rain arrives. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 4 of his 12 races — that is 1 in every 3, a noticeably sharper rate than his overall figures. His trainer Harry Derham, who operates out of Upper Lambourn and has sent out 57 winners already this season, flagged this openly after one of his second-place finishes: he said the horse would be better again when the ground got softer, and pointed straight back to Haydock for a race in January. That kind of specific targeting tells you the yard knows exactly what they have here. Sure enough, Escapeandevade went back and won at Haydock in December 2025 — his most recent victory, just four months ago.

He also has a particular affinity with Ayr, where he has won 2 of his 3 races. His very first career win came there in January 2022, and he has gone back and done it again since. Winning two-thirds of your races at any track is unusual; it suggests something about the course — the way it rides, the shape of it — just suits how this horse moves and jumps.

Much of his best work has been done in partnership with jockey Brian Hughes. The two have raced together 11 times and won on 3 of those occasions — roughly 1 in every 3.5 races — which is meaningfully better than his overall win rate of roughly 1 in every 5. A previous trainer, James Ewart, was candid about why Hughes matters: the horse is described as awkward, a "Westerner" in temperament, and getting everything right on the day requires someone who understands him. That kind of trust between horse and rider is hard to build and easy to underestimate.

His recent form — a win in December followed by two runner-up finishes — tells you he is still competitive at ten. He raced just yesterday, which means there is every chance another chapter is already being written.