Humble Spark

The partnership with jockey Paul Mulrennan tells its own story. In 20 races together, they have won 5 times — that's 1 in every 4, a noticeably better rate than the horse manages with anyone else riding. Finding the right jockey for the right horse sounds simple, but it makes an enormous difference, and these two clearly understand each other. Humble Spark has also shown a strong preference for wet or muddy ground, winning 2 of just 4 races in those conditions — a 50% hit rate that any trainer would treasure. And at a distance of around a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs, the horse has won 5 of its 16 races, which suggests that middle distance suits the engine rather well.

Southwell is where Humble Spark has made its name as a course to watch, winning 2 from 6 there — including a win as recently as March 2025. All-weather tracks like Southwell tend to suit horses that settle and travel smoothly through a race, and Goldie has noted that Humble Spark has a rare ability to switch off and relax mid-race, which is far harder to teach than most people realise. That composure is a genuine asset.

The current form line — two second places in the last six races without a win — might read as a slight dip, but the horse is clearly still competing at a high level. Goldie has bigger ambitions in mind: the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, one of the more famous long-distance races on the calendar, is the target, with a race called the Vase on the same day as a backup option. The trainer is openly enthusiastic, describing the horse as "a player" at two miles, and with Jim Goldie's yard having sent out 88 winners this season alone, this is a team that knows exactly what it is doing. Humble Spark raced just yesterday and is very much in the middle of its season.