Kerdos

The first of those big days came at Beverley in September 2023, and trainer Clive Cox was effusive afterwards, talking about a horse with a "really big kick" who had barely been tested. A few months later, Cox was gone from the picture, but Kerdos reappeared under Stephen Thorne's care and went back to Haydock Park — where he had won on his career debut in 2022 — and did it again at the top level in May 2024. That makes Haydock something of a home from home, with two wins from the track across his career, and it is worth noting that Thorne's yard in Co Dublin has sent out 24 winners already this season, so this is not a quiet operation.

The puzzle is what has happened since. That Haydock win was 24 months ago, and Kerdos has not won in six races since. His recent results read 8-6-9-2-5-9 — mostly mid-pack, with a single second place offering a flicker of the old spark. Thorne has been candid about why his last run, a sixth at Haydock on his reappearance, was not the full picture: a bruised foot in the build-up and a horse that arrived fresh and not quite right. Those are the kinds of details that matter enormously at this level, where the difference between winning and finishing eighth can come down to two weeks of interrupted preparation.

The most curious subplot is his partnership with jockey Rossa Ryan. Seven races together and not a single win — an odd record given that Ryan is a high-quality rider and Kerdos is clearly capable of the very best days. On normal ground, though, Kerdos is a different animal: two wins from seven races at 29%, or roughly 1 in every 3.5. He raced yesterday and is clearly being kept active, and with a horse who has shown he can win at the top level twice, the next race always feels like it could be the one.