King Of Ithaca

Across his 37-race career, King Of Ithaca has won 6 times and placed on 13 other occasions — so he has given his the yard a reason to cheer in nearly half of all his races, which is a solid record at Class 5 level, the bread-and-butter tier of British racing. His best conditions are normal ground, where he has won 5 of his 19 races on a surface that isn't too wet or too firm — roughly 1 in 4. That tells you he is a consistent, conditions-friendly performer rather than a specialist who needs everything to go right.

James Tate trains him out of Newmarket, one of the sport's most famous training towns, and Tate's yard has been in excellent form — 50 winners already this season, which is a serious operation. The partnership with jockey Rossa Ryan has been particularly productive: two wins from seven rides together, or just under 1 in 3, which is a meaningful hit rate for a horse at this level. That is the kind of combination where you start to feel they understand each other.

King Of Ithaca raced just yesterday and has won 6 of his 37 career races overall, a win rate of around 16% — roughly 1 in every 6. His recent form reads 4th, 8th, 5th, a blank run, 6th, and then a win, so the pattern is one of patience rewarded rather than dominance. He is not a horse who wins in bunches, but he keeps finding the line when it matters — especially at Southwell, where he has built a record that any horse at this level would be proud of.