Karton Plein

That one win came at Southwell in February 2025, and it remains the sole highlight of a career that has otherwise been defined by near-misses. Fifteen months is a long time to wait for a second success, and the last six races have produced nothing better than a third, suggesting the horse is finding its level rather than building toward something bigger. At Class 4 — the workaday tier of British racing, well below the top events — Karton Plein has won just once from six attempts at that grade, a rate of roughly 1 in every 6 races. That is not a stat that screams potential, but it does say the horse belongs at this level and is not being overfaced.

Sean Bowen, one of the most accomplished jump jockeys in the country, has been the regular partner, riding in six of the nine races and winning the one that mattered. That the team keeps coming back to a rider of Bowen's calibre suggests belief that the right race is out there somewhere. The horse is trained by Olly Murphy at Wilmcote in Warwickshire, a yard that has sent out 146 winners this season — a genuinely productive operation, and not one that wastes time on hopeless cases. The fact that Karton Plein is still running, and raced as recently as yesterday, means the team clearly thinks there is another day coming.

Whether that day arrives is the open question. The form figures make for sobering reading — an eighth and a sixth in the most recent runs suggest the horse is not at its peak right now. But horses have a habit of surprising you, and with a good trainer, a top jockey, and a winning blueprint already laid down at Southwell, the ingredients for a repeat are at least present.