Max Of Stars

His best work has come at Newton Abbot, where he has won 3 of 7 races — a genuinely strong record at a single track that marks him out as a course specialist. His highest achievement to date is a Class 2 win there on 30 September 2023, one of the top races in the calendar, though he has managed nothing of that calibre since. In the saddle, jockey Brian Hughes has been his most effective partner, riding him to 4 wins from 14 races, a 29 percent win rate together that stands well above Max Of Stars' baseline performance. When Hughes is aboard on a surface he loves, the horse seems to find another gear.

The trouble is timing. His last win came at Wetherby on 15 October 2025 — now ten months ago — and he has not crossed the line first in his last six races, though he has placed in four of them, most recently finishing fourth just a day ago. He typically races at Class 4 level, the bread-and-butter tier, where he has won only 2 of 11 races. That drought matters less than it might because Max Of Stars remains active and still capable: a horse who finds the right ground, the right track, and the right circumstances can still deliver. Pears' yard has sent out nine winners this season, suggesting the operation is in form. The next good opportunity on normal ground at a favourable course could be exactly what this horse needs to remind everyone why he has a Class 2 success to his name.