James McHenry

The most interesting detail in his record is where he tends to run versus where he actually wins. James McHenry has lined up nine times in Class 2 races — the kind of high-quality contests just below the very elite level — and has yet to win one. Zero from nine. At the same time, he has won 2 from 8 at distances between seven furlongs and a mile, suggesting that when the trip and the grade are right, he is a genuinely competitive horse. The problem is that his performances have earned him a higher rating, which keeps pushing him into tougher company. Bethell sent him to Haydock's Silver Bowl to test how far he had developed, but a slow start meant he burned through energy earlier than ideal and never got the run the race deserved.

His most trusted partner in the saddle is Callum Rodriguez, who has ridden him in 16 of his 22 races and accounts for all three wins — that is 3 from 16 together, or roughly 1 in every 5, which is notably better than his overall record and suggests the partnership genuinely suits him. Rodriguez reportedly believes the horse could step up to a mile and a quarter, and Bethell has floated a stiff mile as an alternative, with Royal Ascot mentioned as a possibility at one stage this season.

He has not won in his last six races, and his most recent victory came at Carlisle in May 2024 — two years ago now. His recent form figures of 4-5-4-9-11-2 show he has been competitive without getting his head in front, which matches what Bethell has said publicly: that after a narrow defeat at Newmarket, he took the view the horse was simply beaten by a better-placed rival on the day and came away proud rather than disappointed. That is the honest summary of James McHenry — a horse who tries hard, runs in good races, and keeps coming close without quite finding the winning thread again.