Marhaba The Champ

The conditions matter enormously with this horse. On fast, dry ground, Marhaba The Champ has won 2 of 10 races — 20%, which means winning 1 in every 5, and that is a dramatically different animal from the one who labours in softer conditions. Previous trainer Kevin Ryan was unambiguous about it: the ground is not just a preference, it is a requirement. "He loves quick ground without any juice in it at all — it's so important to him," Ryan said after one of the York wins, where William Buick delivered a ride the yard had been waiting for since the weather dried out. On another occasion, Ryan Moore reported a horse that was keen and a little awkward to settle, but let him breathe and he found plenty. Those York wins were not flukes.

The last of those wins came on 25 August 2023 — now 33 months ago — and Marhaba The Champ has not troubled the scorer since in 6 races. His recent form reads 9th, 12th, 4th, 2nd, 4th in the runs before his most recent outing, which shows flashes of competitiveness but nothing that has translated into a win. Sophie Leech has taken over the training, and her yard has sent out 4 winners this season, so the operation is ticking. The horse raced just one day ago and remains active, which means whatever comes next is close.

The question is whether those York conditions — dry ground, a stiff mile and a bit, a big crowd — can be replicated once more. When everything lines up for this horse, it has shown it belongs in high-class company. The trick is waiting for the moment.