Optician

Trained by Michael Herrington out of Willoughton in Lincolnshire, Optician races under a yard that has been in strong form this season, sending out 33 winners — a solid output for a smaller operation. The horse also has a clear preference for normal ground conditions, where all four of its career wins have come, going 4 from 18 races (roughly 1 in every 4-and-a-half) on a standard surface. Put it on wet or muddy ground and the results tell a different story.

Recent form has gone quiet. Optician hasn't won in its last six races, and its most regular partner David Allan has yet to get the horse into the winner's enclosure across 11 rides together. The last win came at Wolverhampton back in December 2024 — sixteen months ago now — and the recent sequence of a fourth, a pulled-up run, an eleventh, a third, a second, and a sixth suggests a horse that's been competitive without quite finding that finishing kick. The second and third places show it's not out of form entirely; it just hasn't clicked.

At Class 4 level — solid, mid-tier racing — Optician has won just 1 from 12 races (8%), which suggests it finds life toughest at that grade. The Wolverhampton wins likely came in similar or slightly easier company, and that's where patience pays off for anyone watching this horse. Get it back to its favourite track, on normal ground, and the numbers say it becomes a different proposition entirely.