Montassib

The most eye-catching detail in Montassib's record is what happens when it rains. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 3 of his 4 races — a remarkable 75% win rate. That is not a coincidence or a lucky streak; that is a horse who transforms in conditions that others hate. Three wins from four on soft ground, while managing just 4 wins from the remaining 19 races in normal or dry conditions, tells you everything about how to get the best out of him.

The peak of his career came in a remarkable run through 2023 and 2024. He won three of the top races in Britain — a Class 1 at Doncaster in March 2024, another at Newcastle in June, and a third at Haydock in September — bookending Class 2 victories at Newmarket and York either side. Five wins across those two seasons at venues that represent the very best the sport has to offer. For an eight-year-old still competing at this level, that is a genuinely distinguished résumé.

He is trained by William Haggas, whose Newmarket yard has been in outstanding form — 175 winners already this season, which is the output of an operation firing on all cylinders. In the saddle, Cieren Fallon has been the key partnership, winning 5 of their 13 races together, a win rate of 38% — meaning Fallon wins on him more than once every three rides. That kind of chemistry between jockey and horse matters.

His recent form reads 4-5-7-3-5-1, with that solitary win at Haydock back in September 2024 now sitting 19 months ago. He has placed twice in his last six races without quite rediscovering the winner's enclosure. He raced just three days ago and is clearly still being aimed at big targets — the question is whether the rain will arrive to bring the best out of him again.