Hold Your Fort

The most striking thing about Hold Your Fort is what happens when the races are held at Newton Abbot, a tight, turning track in Devon. Five wins from just 8 races there is a remarkable record — that is winning more than 6 in every 10 times out at the same venue. To put that in perspective, most decent horses win roughly 1 in 5 at any given track. Hold Your Fort wins at Newton Abbot at three times that rate. Whether it is the track's shape, the ground, or something else entirely, this horse simply thrives there in a way that goes beyond coincidence.

The partnership with jockey James Best is another thread worth pulling on. In 14 races together, Best has ridden Hold Your Fort to 5 wins — a win rate of 36 percent, or roughly 1 in every 3 rides. That is significantly better than the horse's overall record, which suggests the two have developed a real understanding. When Best is in the saddle, the chances go up noticeably.

Hold Your Fort typically competes at Class 3 level, which sits in the upper half of British racing's prize-money structure without quite reaching the elite tier of Class 1 and 2. At that level, the horse has won 3 from 9 — 1 in every 3 races — which is a solid return against quality opposition. But the most recent win arrived somewhere rather more prestigious: Ascot, on 29 March 2026, just five weeks ago. Winning at Ascot, one of the most famous racecourses in the world, is not something every horse manages once in a career. Hold Your Fort has done it recently.

Trained by Debra Hamer at her yard in Nantycaws, Carmarthenshire — a small operation that has sent out 3 winners this season — Hold Your Fort represents exactly the kind of punching-above-your-weight story that makes racing compelling. A ten-year-old, still racing, still winning at Ascot. There is plenty left in the tank.