Frankendael

Across a 20-race career, Frankendael has won 4 times and placed on 9 other occasions — that is a win rate of roughly 1 in every 5 races, with a place in more than half its starts overall. Those are solid numbers at the level it competes at, which is broadly the lower-to-mid tier of British racing. At that grade, winning a third of its races over a mile and a bit — two wins from four attempts at that distance — marks it out as a horse that knows exactly what it is doing when conditions suit.

The most interesting detail, though, is the distance sweet spot. Frankendael has won 2 of its 4 races at a mile and one or two furlongs. In racing terms, that is a horse that has found its range: not a sprinter, not a stayer, just a horse that hits its stride at a very particular distance and can be genuinely dangerous when placed there. The yard at Rathkeale, Co. Limerick — trained by E McNamara — clearly understands this, having sent out 22 winners this season, so they know how to place a horse to its best advantage.

That said, Frankendael has not won in six races, with its last success coming at Listowel in September 2024, now 19 months ago. Recent form reads 17th, 3rd, 7th, unplaced, 11th, 3rd — a horse that is knocking on the door occasionally but not quite getting through it. Conor McNamara, who rides most often, has won 1 from their 6 races together, a rate of roughly 1 in 6. It raced just one day ago, so it is very much in active campaigning mode. Whether a return to Beverley or a race over that precise mile-and-a-bit trip can unlock another win remains to be seen — but the evidence says do not write it off.