Illy's Roo

Trainer Gemma Tutty's yard at Osmotherley has had a strong season with twenty winners already, and she knows what makes Illy's Roo tick. According to Tutty, the horse needs a race set at a proper gallop — he wants other horses to chase and chase him, effectively. He proved that in March when he won at the long odds of 28-1 at Southwell, and he's won at York too, so he clearly has the ability to capitalise when conditions favour him. On normal ground he wins one in every 2.5 races (two wins from five), which is noticeably better than his overall record, so going matters for him.

The trainer's plan is to target bigger races over seven furlongs where the prize-money is worth running for and where the pace is likely to be frantic enough to suit. That's the sweet spot: races with enough money to attract a field that will gallop, and distance enough to give Illy's Roo something to aim at. He's in the Class 5 bracket mostly — just one win from four races there — but that's where the bigger handicaps tend to cluster. Don't expect him to be reliable, but when everything lines up the right way, he's got the ability to deliver.