Highly Recommended

That sole victory came at Ludlow back in October 2024, and it remains his career highlight — now 19 months ago, which means finding that form again has proven elusive. His last six runs tell a story of frustration, with four blank results before a third place and then that win if you read the form back in time. More recently, the results have dried up entirely. He raced just one day ago, so he is very much an active horse still being campaigned, still being given opportunities to add to his tally.

He is trained by Dianne Sayer, whose small yard sits up in Hackthorpe in Cumbria — about as far north as British racing gets. Sayer has sent out 15 winners this season, which is a solid return for a yard of that size and shows she knows how to place her horses and find their right moment. The question for Highly Recommended is whether that right moment comes around again — because when it did at Ludlow in October 2024, he clearly had enough ability to get the job done.