Kosometsuke

The career arc tells an interesting story. The first win came at Kempton Park in May 2025, and since then Kosometsuke has been building confidence steadily. The most recent victory arrived at Thirsk just two weeks ago, which is the kind of recent, sharp form that matters most. Looking at the last six races — a second, a sixth, a win, a fourth, a win, and a fifth working back from the most recent — there's a horse that mixes brilliance with the occasional off day, which is honest enough at this level.

Most of Kosometsuke's racing has come at Class 4, which sits in the middle tier of the sport — not the big glamour events, but competitive enough that you have to be a genuine racehorse to hold your own. The record there reads 1 win from 6 races, or roughly 1 in 6, which looks modest until you factor in that six places alongside three wins across the full career suggests this horse is finishing in the money far more often than it wins. In other words, it rarely runs a stinker.

The regular jockey is Jack Mitchell, who has partnered Kosometsuke in 9 of its 12 races and ridden 2 of those 3 winners — a win rate of around 1 in 4 together. That kind of established partnership matters; a jockey who knows a horse's quirks is always an advantage. Behind the scenes, Michael Dods has had a productive season, sending out 43 winners from his Durham yard, which marks him out as one of the more reliable trainers operating outside the major southern centres. The fact that he keeps finding winners in volume suggests Kosometsuke is in capable hands and being placed thoughtfully. Raced just yesterday, this is a horse very much in the thick of its season.