Heretic

What makes Heretic worth watching is his recent form. He won just this week at Southwell on 27 August, and looking back at his last six races, he has two wins in that sequence — a sign he is still performing when it matters. His most recent run saw him finish second, then before that a win and a third-place, so he is mixing strong efforts with the occasional disappointing display (the seventh and eighth places earlier in the run show even solid horses have off days). Ridden most often by Dylan Hogan, the pair have built a small partnership of two wins from twelve races together, giving them a 17 percent win rate that edges slightly ahead of his overall record.

Trained by Michael Herrington at Willoughton in Lincolnshire, Heretic runs for a yard that has already sent out 33 winners this season — a well-performing operation with plenty of ammunition. At Class 6 level, where Heretic does most of his racing, he has won three of eighteen attempts, a 17 percent record that sits comfortably in his wheelhouse. He is clearly still active and sharp enough to win regularly. Heretic may not be the flashy type, but he is consistent, still competitive, and still capable of rewarding anyone paying attention when he lines up.