Lipa K

The most striking number in Lipa K's file is his record at Bangor-on-Dee. Four wins from seven races there — winning 4 of every 7 times he turns up — is the kind of dominance that makes a course feel like home turf. Trainers notice when a horse loves a particular track, and Greenall and Guerriero have clearly been happy to keep returning. He also has a taste for wet, muddy conditions, winning 2 of his 4 races on heavy or soft ground. When the rain comes, Lipa K tends to get better while others get slower.

His recent form reads 1-2-3-1-6-1 — that is three wins, a second, and a third in his last six races, with one poor run sandwiched in the middle. He won at Warwick just this week, which suggests he is right at the top of his game. Henry Brooke, who rides him most often, has a strong record aboard him too: 3 wins from 7 races together, winning 43% of the time — roughly winning almost 1 in every 2 rides. That is the kind of partnership that makes a jockey keep picking up the phone.

His trainer has spoken about stepping Lipa K up to three miles and seeing him improve again as a result, with a run at Aintree — one of the most famous racecourses in the world — producing a fine second place. The ambition is clear: the team have been targeting a big Cheltenham Festival qualifier called the Pertemps Final, which would represent the highest level of competition this horse has faced. His typical level is Class 4, the bread-and-butter middle tier of British racing, where he wins roughly 1 in every 4 races (27% from 15 starts). A step up to the Festival stage would be a significant test — but for a horse still winning races at eight years old, nobody in the yard seems to be ruling it out.