Military Academy

And elite company is exactly where Military Academy lives. Ten of its 17 races have come at Class 1 level — the very top tier of British racing — and it has won one of those, which works out at 1 win from every 10 attempts at that grade. That might sound modest, but consider what it means: this horse is regularly lining up against the best horses in the country. Simply placing in that company, which Military Academy has done repeatedly, takes real quality. You don't stumble into the top table and keep finishing in the frame by accident.

The highlight of its career came on 4 November 2024, when it won a Class 1 race at Kempton Park — a result that put its name in lights and confirmed it belonged at the highest level. Earlier that same year, it had broken its duck at Hamilton Park in August with a Class 2 victory, so 2024 was clearly the season everything clicked. Since then, though, the wins have dried up. Military Academy has gone six races without winning, with recent finishes of 7th, 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 5th, and 5th. There's clearly still ability in there — a second and a third in that sequence show it hasn't fallen apart — but the scoreboard hasn't been updated in 18 months.

Jane Chapple-Hyam's yard has been in fine form this season, sending out 25 winners, so the support structure is there. Military Academy raced just yesterday, meaning it's right in the thick of an active campaign. Whether it can rediscover that November 2024 peak is the question worth watching. A horse that has won at Class 1 is never truly out of the picture — it just needs the right day to remind everyone.