Kokanee

Dunlop, based out of Newmarket in Suffolk, is one of the more respected yards in British racing and has sent out 35 winners already this season. He has named Kokanee as his personal pick among his string, which is a meaningful thing to say out loud. He describes him as a junior version of Superposition — a horse from the same yard — and the physical description alone is striking: enormous feet, big thighs, a frame that needs time and soft conditions to show its best. Dunlop has said firmly that hard, dry ground is not what Kokanee wants.

The career numbers are modest at first glance — 1 win and 3 places from 12 races, meaning he has won just 1 in every 12 times out. But context matters. He is four years old, he has only just got off the mark, and his trainer is openly expecting improvement as the season develops. His regular jockey Hector Crouch has yet to ride him to a win across their five races together, though that Beverley victory came with a different partner in the saddle, which is a wrinkle worth watching. In the class of races he most often enters — solid mid-level company — he wins roughly 1 in 6, or 17% of the time, which is actually a reasonable return at that level.

He raced just yesterday and is clearly being kept busy. The Beverley win was the only one so far, but the trainer's enthusiasm is the real headline here. When someone who has watched a horse every day picks it as their tip for the season, it is worth paying attention — even if the horse spent part of its only win staring at the grass.