Ghaiyya

What is genuinely interesting about Ghaiyya, however, is its record in Class 5 races — the lower tier of competitive racing. In that company it wins two out of every five times it runs, which is a formidable win rate. Move it up in grade and it struggles to replicate that form. The horse's only recent win came three months ago at Doncaster in April, and its breakthrough came at Thirsk back in June 2025 when it first got its head in front. Joe Fanning, the jockey who rides it most often, has managed two wins from seven races together, a win rate of roughly one in three, which is notably better than the horse manages overall. Fanning appears to bring something out of it.

Charlie Johnston's Middleham yard is having a prolific season with 131 winners, and Ghaiyya slots into the middle order of that operation — useful enough to warrant regular racing but not one of the standout talents. The horse remains active and fresh off a race just yesterday, which means the team still believes there is more to come. Whether Ghaiyya can tighten up its form or remains forever a horse better suited to Class 5 company is the question its the yard are working to answer.