Git Maker

His trainer Jamie Snowden, based at Lambourn, is no small operation — the yard has sent out 82 winners this season alone — and Git Maker has been one of its more dependable performers. Snowden has been open about the horse's qualities: he finished second to the subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in the Kim Muir, one of the most celebrated chases in the calendar, and then ran third in the Scottish National. Those are not the results of an ordinary horse. Snowden describes him as a horse who thrives when the race gets genuinely tough — not flashy, but the harder the task, the better he tends to respond. He has also been clear that wet, muddy ground suits him well, which matters enormously when planning a horse's season.

The partnership with jockey Gavin Sheehan has been central to his best form. Together they have won 4 from 14 races (29%), a win rate that mirrors Git Maker's overall career figure — suggesting this is very much a settled combination that gets the best out of each other.

That said, he has not won in six races, and his last victory came at Lingfield Park in November 2023 — now 29 months ago. His recent form reads 2-3-5-pulled up-3-10, which suggests a horse whose spring campaign didn't go to plan. Snowden has acknowledged as much. But the team's thinking is clear: one run over hurdles to get him tuned up, then a crack at the Welsh National. Given that he loves soft ground and gets better as trips get longer and races get harder, a Welsh National — run in the depths of winter, often in brutal conditions — looks tailor-made for him.

Git Maker raced just yesterday, so he is firmly mid-campaign. The story isn't finished yet.