Kicksaftersix

Across 27 career races, Kicksaftersix has won 5 times and placed on a further 12 occasions, giving it a win rate of around 1 in 5 — which is a solid return at any level. On normal ground conditions, that figure improves to 4 wins from 14 races, or roughly 1 in 3.5, suggesting this is a horse that performs best when the track isn't playing tricks. Add in a preference for distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles — 2 wins from 7 races at those trips — and you start to see a horse that knows exactly what it likes.

The partnership with jockey Sean Quinlan is worth noting. The two have teamed up 15 times and won together on 3 occasions, a win rate of 1 in 5 — which is right in line with Kicksaftersix's overall record but tells you Quinlan knows how to get the best from this horse. Martin Todhunter trains from a small yard in Orton, Cumbria, and has sent out 9 winners this season — a respectable tally from a rural operation that punches without fuss.

What makes the current form especially interesting is the trajectory. The last six runs read 7th, 1st, 6th, 6th, 1st, 1st — three wins in that stretch, including a victory at Hexham as recently as three weeks ago. A horse racing just yesterday and firing in wins at age 10 is not something you take for granted. Most horses have long since retired to a field by now. The fact that Kicksaftersix is still competing at Class 5 level — the bread-and-butter tier of British racing — and winning at nearly 1 in 5 across the board makes this a genuinely likeable story: a late-career specialist who has figured out exactly where it belongs.