Palamon

The numbers point to a horse who has specific preferences. On normal ground conditions, he wins roughly 1 in every 5 or 6 races (18%, two wins from 11 attempts), which is a notably better return than his overall average of about 1 in 11. Push him out to a distance of around a mile and three to four furlongs, and that figure improves again — he's won 1 of 4 races at that trip, a 25% conversion rate that suggests the extra distance suits his style of running. He's a horse you want on a dry, fair day over a proper test of stamina.

Sean Flanagan has been his most regular partner, aboard for 9 of his 35 races together and picking up one win in that time — a win rate of around 11%, which is broadly in line with the horse's overall record. Neither figure sets the world alight, but the partnership has clearly been trusted to continue. His first career win came at York back in September 2023, a track with a reputation for rewarding genuinely good horses, which at least tells you Palamon is capable of raising his game on the right day.

He's handled by Dan Skelton's yard in Alcester, Warwickshire — one of the most productive training operations in the country right now, having sent out 194 winners already this season. That kind of volume means Skelton and his team are extremely good at placing horses in races they can win, and the fact that Palamon is still running and competing at Class 4 level — solid, competitive races without quite being the top tier — suggests they believe there's still more to come from him. With a win just four weeks ago and a race just yesterday, Palamon is clearly being kept busy while he's in good form. That is usually a deliberate choice.