Fortamour

The headline number is Ripon. Five wins from 25 races there is a remarkable record at a single track. To put that in perspective, most horses at this level might win once or twice at their favourite course over an entire career. Fortamour has turned up at Ripon a quarter of a century's worth of times and won a fifth of them, which suggests the track genuinely suits the way this horse runs. When Fortamour walks into the Ripon parade ring, it is on familiar territory in every sense.

Overall, the career record reads 7 wins and 17 places from 49 races — a win rate of 14%, or roughly 1 in every 7 races. That is a solid, honest return at a consistent level, mostly in Class 4 company, which represents the bread-and-butter tier of British racing. Four of those 7 wins have come at that level, and the horse has placed a further 17 times, meaning Fortamour has finished in the frame in nearly half of all its races. That is a horse that earns its keep.

What makes the current moment interesting is the recent form. The last six races read 2-12-11-6-1-1, and those two wins at the end of the sequence — including a victory at Newcastle as recently as November 2025 — show a horse that has come back to life after a flat patch in the middle. At 10 years old, some horses are winding down. Fortamour appears to be doing the opposite. The horse raced just one day ago, so this is an active campaign, not a fond look back.

Jockey Joanna Mason has the closest understanding of this horse, riding Fortamour 17 times and winning 3 of them — roughly 1 in every 6 rides together, which is comfortably above the career average. Ben Haslam's yard has sent out 35 winners this season, suggesting a yard in form. For a 10-year-old with five wins at its favourite track and two recent victories to its name, Fortamour is a horse worth watching whenever Ripon comes around.