Mermaids Cave

The overall numbers back up that impression. Across 31 races, Mermaids Cave has won 8 and finished in the places 13 more times — a win rate of 26%, or roughly 1 in every 4 races. For context, most racehorses win somewhere between 1 in 8 and 1 in 10 of their races across a career, so this is a genuinely productive record. The horse got off the mark at Fontwell Park in May 2024 and has kept on winning ever since, now at seven years old and showing no signs of slowing down.

The partnership with jockey Mr Alex Chadwick is worth noting. In 10 races together they have won 4, a win rate of 40% — nearly 2 in every 5 rides ending in victory. That kind of chemistry between horse and rider makes a real difference at the track, and Chadwick clearly gets the best out of this horse. Conditions matter too: on slightly soft, wet ground, Mermaids Cave wins 2 from 5 races, that same 40% figure, suggesting it moves through easier ground comfortably rather than being slowed by it.

Behind the scenes, trainer James Owen operates out of Newmarket — one of the most famous training centres in the world — and his yard has sent out 204 winners already this season. That is the output of a seriously busy and successful operation, and Mermaids Cave is clearly among the horses carrying its flag well. Competing mainly at Class 4 level, the horse has won 3 of its 10 races at that grade, a solid 30% return against decent competition.

Recent form reads 4-1-5-2-8 going back from the latest run, with that second place and the win at Huntingdon last week sitting right at the heart of it. This is a horse in good nick, trained by a yard firing on all cylinders, with a jockey who knows exactly how to ride it. If Mermaids Cave turns up at Huntingdon again, you already know what the form book says.