Fireblade

The five-year-old spent most of its career racing at Class 4 level, winning just 1 of those 6 races. Then in August 2025 it stepped up in class and beat better horses on one of the most prestigious tracks in the country. That progression — from a first career win at Leicester in April to a Class 2 victory at Ascot four months later — suggests a horse that was finding its feet and then found them in emphatic fashion.

Ground conditions matter enormously with Fireblade. On fast, dry ground it has won 2 of its 7 races — a win rate of 29%, or roughly 1 in every 3 and a half. That is a genuinely strong record, and it tells you something useful: when the sun has been out and the ground is riding quick, this horse is a different proposition. On other ground, the form falls away noticeably, so conditions are worth checking before getting too excited.

Fireblade is trained by Dylan Cunha at Newmarket, one of racing's great headquarters, and the yard has been in fine form this season with 45 winners. That is a yard operating with confidence, which matters when it comes to placing a horse in the right race at the right time. Recent form has been patchy — a win, then a handful of also-ran finishes — but the horse raced just yesterday, so whatever comes next is imminent. A horse with an Ascot Class 2 on its record and a preference for dry summer ground is worth following when conditions line up.