Follow Charlie

Trained by R Mike Smith out of Galston in East Ayrshire — barely a stone's throw from the track it dominates — Follow Charlie has been a consistent part of a yard that has sent out 25 winners already this season. The combination of local knowledge and local geography is hard to ignore. Most often in the saddle is Ben Smith, who has partnered the horse in 16 of its 30 races and ridden 2 of its wins together, winning roughly 1 in every 8 of their shared outings. It is a familiar partnership that clearly suits the horse.

The most recent win came at Ayr on 12 November 2025 — about six months ago now — and since then Follow Charlie has gone six races without a victory. Recent form reads 6-2-4-9-4-4, which tells the story of a horse that keeps showing up near the front without quite getting its nose in front. It placed second in one of those efforts, which shows the ability is still there. These races are typically run at Class 4 level, one of the more competitive everyday tiers, where Follow Charlie has won just 1 from 17 — around 1 in every 17 at that level. The horse clearly needs things to fall right.

Follow Charlie raced just one day ago, so it is very much in the thick of its season. The form says a win is overdue. The address says Ayr is where it is most likely to come.