Inflexible

The ground appears to matter a great deal. On normal conditions, Inflexible has won 2 of just 3 races — a 67% win rate that is extraordinary by any measure. When the ground suits, this horse is simply a different animal, and any punter worth their salt would be checking the forecast before getting involved.

The relationship with jockey Jonathan Burke is the one puzzling thread in the story. Burke has ridden Inflexible eight times without a single win together — 0 from 8 — which is the kind of statistic that makes you wonder whether the horse simply goes better for someone else, or whether those eight runs were just the ones where the dice never rolled right. Given that Inflexible has clearly found a way to win lately, it is a dynamic worth watching.

The yard behind the horse — David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, training out of Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire — has sent out 18 winners already this season, so this is not a sleepy operation. They know what they are doing, and keeping a horse this age in form and competitive is a real skill. Most of Inflexible's racing has come at Class 4 level, the mid-tier of the sport, where the horse has won just 1 from 9 — an 11% win rate. That modest number against the recent burst of three wins in six races tells you the current form is something out of the ordinary, and well worth paying attention to while it lasts.