Hammer The Hammer

Trained by Kevin Ryan at Hambleton in North Yorkshire, Hammer The Hammer is part of a yard that has been in fine fettle this season, sending out 45 winners. Ryan has a reputation for placing his horses intelligently, and Hammer The Hammer looks like a good example of that — a horse who knows how to win when conditions suit. The most productive partnership has been with jockey Tom Eaves, who has ridden the horse to all three of its wins from seven rides together. That's a win rate of 43%, or just under 3 in every 7 races — a striking number that suggests Eaves gets the best out of this horse in a way others haven't quite managed.

The trickiest part of Hammer The Hammer's profile is at the top end. In four attempts at Class 2 level — among the best races in Britain — the horse has yet to get its head in front, losing all four. That's not a disgrace; those races attract the best horses around, and simply competing in them at this stage of a career says something. But it does point to a horse that is most dangerous when dropped back into slightly less competitive company.

Recent form shows a horse that has been blowing hot and cold — a win and a second-place finish in the last six races, but also a couple of results in the mid-teens suggesting the odd bad day at the office. Hammer The Hammer last won at Chester back in May 2025 and has raced as recently as yesterday, so it is very much an active campaign. Whether another crack at the level it dominates — or another tilt at the top tier — comes next will tell you a lot about what Kevin Ryan believes this horse is capable of.