Kitsune Power

The peak of Kitsune Power's career came at Beverley in August 2022, when the horse won a Class 2 race — one of the better races you will find outside the very top level in Britain. Jockey Kevin Stott described it as a race that turned into more of a sprint finish than anyone had wanted, but Kitsune Power got rolling three furlongs out and did the job. That result still stands as the high-water mark. Easterby had bought the horse at the Newmarket sales and identified a mile and a quarter as the sweet spot for distance, a hunch backed up by the numbers: 2 wins from just 9 races at that trip, a win rate of around 1 in 4, which is a genuinely impressive return.

The other thing that brings the best out of Kitsune Power is fast, dry ground. On those conditions, the horse has won 2 of 11 races — again, roughly 1 in 5 — compared to a much more modest record when the ground is wet or muddy. Easterby has been open about that, noting the horse simply could not handle heavy ground at Ripon on one occasion. Knowing what a horse needs, and placing it accordingly, is most of the job in training, and Easterby's yard clearly understands this one well. The stable has sent out 126 winners this season alone, so Kitsune Power is part of a serious, high-volume operation.

The honest question is whether another win is coming. It has been 23 months since Kitsune Power last won — at Thirsk in June 2024 — and the recent run of form shows four runs without a placing inside the top three. Jockey David Allan, who has ridden the horse 17 times together, has managed just one win from those outings. But Kitsune Power raced just yesterday and is clearly still being kept active, which suggests the team around the horse still believe there is a race to be won. On fast ground, at a mile and a quarter, that belief is not without foundation.