No Knee Never

The five-year-old is trained by James Owen at Newmarket, one of British racing's most famous training centres, and the yard has been in exceptional form this season — 204 winners is a serious number and puts Owen firmly among the most productive trainers in the country right now. No Knee Never has been doing its bit, winning 2 of its last 6 races, with that most recent victory coming at Wolverhampton just last week. The horse raced again yesterday, so it is as current as it gets.

On normal ground conditions, No Knee Never has won 4 of its 18 races — a win rate of 22%, or roughly 1 in every 4 or 5 tries. That is noticeably better than its overall record and suggests the horse simply goes better when the ground is neither too wet nor too dry. Its best distances are also worth noting: over five to six and a half furlongs — the shorter, speedier end of racing — it has won 1 from 4, which is 25%. These are sprint distances, and a horse that thrives over the short stuff at a floodlit all-weather track like Wolverhampton has a pretty specific skill set.

The one puzzle in the profile is the partnership with jockey Sam James. He has ridden No Knee Never six times without a win, which is a curious blank given how well the horse has been running. Both of its recent victories came under different circumstances, which is the kind of detail that racing enthusiasts quietly file away. It competes mostly at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, and has won 2 of its 9 races at that level. This is not a horse troubling the top races — its career earnings tell you it operates in modest company — but for what it does, at the track it loves, No Knee Never is genuinely hard to ignore right now.