Laafi

The best moment on that CV is a Class 2 victory at Doncaster in October 2024 — one of the better races in Britain — which confirmed that Laafi belongs at a serious level. Winning at that grade is not something every horse manages even once, and doing it at Doncaster, one of the most demanding flat tracks in the country, adds genuine weight to the achievement. More recently, Laafi won at Aintree just four weeks ago, so this is not a horse coasting on past glories. It is in form right now, having raced as recently as yesterday, and its last six runs read 2-1-blank-5-12-3 — two wins, a second, and a third in there, with only one bad run spoiling what is otherwise an encouraging recent picture.

There are clear patterns to how Laafi wins. Wet or muddy conditions suit it well: two wins from five races in those conditions, a 40% win rate that dwarfs what most horses manage in any circumstances. Similarly, races run over a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs bring out the best in it — again, 2 wins from 5 at that trip, suggesting the team at William Durkan's yard in Sandyford, Co. Dublin have a very clear picture of where and when to aim this horse. Durkan's yard has sent out 13 winners already this season, so this is not a small operation guessing in the dark.

Jockey Cieren Fallon also appears to be something of a key ingredient. In five races together, Fallon has won twice aboard Laafi — a 40% win rate that is remarkable by any measure. When the same jockey wins 2 in every 5 races on a particular horse, you take notice. Put Fallon up, find a mile-and-a-half track on a wet day, and Laafi is a horse worth watching very carefully indeed.