Marinakis

The sweet spot for Marinakis is distance-wise. When racing over 1m1f to 1m2f—roughly a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half—he wins about one in every four times (2 wins from 8 races, a 25 percent rate). That is significantly above his overall average and shows there is a formula that works for him. Trainer Robert Stephens, based at Caldicot in Monmouthshire, appears to understand this, and the yard is having a decent season with eleven winners to its name.

The tougher reading comes in recent form. Marinakis has not won in his last six races, finishing 7th, 4th, 8th, 8th, 6th, and 4th in that sequence, with his most recent outing just a day ago. The consistency is there—he is rarely entirely out of the frame—but he has not found the winner's enclosure for six months. Jockey Ryan Kavanagh, who rides him regularly, has managed one win from seven races together, suggesting the combination works but has not quite clicked into gear lately. At six years old, Marinakis appears to be a genuine Class 6 horse (three wins from twenty races at that level) who will continue to pick up races when everything aligns—particularly back at Chelmsford, where he clearly feels at home.