Gnomon

Trained by Toby Lawes at Beare Green in Surrey, a yard that has sent out 8 winners already this season, Gnomon began his career with another handler before making the switch. His trainer has been candid about that transition, noting that his hurdling debut under the new setup was a slightly tactical affair where they simply got outmanoeuvred by a more experienced rival — but crucially, they were 16 lengths clear of everything else. That is the kind of defeat you can live with.

The conditions matter with this horse. On slightly soft ground, he has won 2 of his 3 races — a 67% win rate that tells you he is transformed when there is a bit of moisture in the ground. His jockey noted after one run that the ground at Ffos Las had been too heavy, so there is a sweet spot to find. Get the conditions right and Gnomon is a different animal. His preferred distance of 1m6f to 2m shows the same pattern — 2 wins from 3 races, again 67%. He is still learning to settle over that trip, but the signs are promising.

Most recently, he won at Ascot on 29 March 2026 — just four weeks ago — and the team immediately set their sights on the novices' championship final at Sandown. Lawes said that plan was in place almost from the moment they bought the horse, which suggests real belief in what Gnomon can become. A stiff two miles at Sandown, if conditions cooperate, looks tailor-made for him.

The one puzzle is his record at Class 4 level — the mid-tier of British racing — where he has raced five times without winning. His best performances have come elsewhere, and with a novices' championship final now on the horizon, he is about to find out exactly how good he is.