Mister Bluebird

The most interesting thing about Mister Bluebird is what happens when the rain arrives. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 3 from 6 races — that's a 50% win rate, which is extraordinary. Half the time conditions suit him, he wins. Compare that to his overall record of 1 in every 6 or 7, and you start to understand why his trainer Heather Main, based at Kingston Lisle in Oxfordshire, will be watching the weather forecast very carefully. Main's yard has sent out 16 winners this season, so there's clearly plenty of ability in the operation.

Goodwood is another reason to keep an eye on him. He has won twice from 7 races there, making it his most productive course — and Goodwood is one of the more demanding tracks in the country, with its undulating layout and sweeping bends. Horses that win there more than once tend to genuinely suit the place rather than stumbling into a result. His most recent win came at Great Yarmouth in July 2025, so it has been a little while since he last got his nose in front.

His recent form reads 2-12-8-3-2-1 (most recent first), which tells an interesting story. That 1 is the Yarmouth win, and the 2s and 3 suggest he has been competitive without quite getting there. The last couple of runs — 12th and 2nd — are a bit of a mixed bag, but this is a horse that has raced 46 times and is still finding the frame regularly. Jack Mitchell rides him most often, winning once from 8 attempts together, roughly 1 in 8, which is modest — but the right conditions may matter more than the jockey for this particular horse. When the skies open up, Mister Bluebird becomes a very different proposition.