The issue for much of his career has been attitude rather than ability. He's a keen horse — the kind that wants to race harder and faster than is good for him. In his earlier races, that exuberance saw him fighting his jockey in the opening stages, arriving at the business end of a race already running on empty. It's a classic young horse problem, and it's cost him dearly. Eight races and only one placed finish to show for it tells you how much that waywardness has hurt him.
What's encouraging is that his trainer Gary Hanmer — based at Tattenhall in Cheshire and clearly in decent form with 19 winners on the board this season — believes the penny is starting to drop. Hanmer's assessment is that the switch to hurdles has genuinely helped Good Boy Griff settle and think about what he's doing, rather than just bolt. A horse that learns to race within itself can improve dramatically, almost overnight, and Hanmer sounds quietly excited about where this one is headed. The plan is a run at Bangor-on-Dee in the coming days, and the yard heads there pleased with how he's been working.
His most recent finish was a second place — the only time he has troubled the judge — and that small piece of evidence matters. It suggests the talent is there, buried beneath a hot temperament that is slowly being tamed. Whether he can translate promise into wins at Class 5 level, where he has raced three times without getting off the mark, remains to be seen. But Good Boy Griff is a horse worth watching rather than writing off. Plenty of horses take time to grow up. The ones that do can make up for a lot of lost ground in a hurry.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor-on-Dee Sharp |
3 | 1 second, 2 other | 18 Apr | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 2 Feb | 0% |
| Uttoxeter Sharp |
2 | 2 other | 16 May | 0% |
| Wetherby Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 27 Dec | 0% |