Per Contra

Trained by Tim Easterby at Great Habton in North Yorkshire, Per Contra is part of a yard in serious form — 126 winners this season alone, which tells you Easterby knows how to place his horses and keep them running well. Per Contra's first win came at Chepstow back in July 2023, and the most recent came at Newcastle in September 2025, eight months ago. Since then, recent form reads 13-7-9-12-1-7 (most recent first), which means a spell of struggles bookending that Newcastle win. The last three runs in particular — finishing 13th, 7th and 9th — suggest the horse hasn't quite recaptured that winning feeling just yet.

One genuinely interesting detail is how much Per Contra seems to like normal ground conditions. From just three races on standard going, the horse has won twice — a win rate of 67%, or 2 from 3. That's remarkably high, and it's the kind of stat that makes sense to keep in mind when the ground is right.

Most of Per Contra's racing has come at Class 3 level — one step below the very top tier — with 1 win from 11 races at that level, which is a modest 9%. That's the honest reality of competing at a decent standard week in, week out. Regular jockey David Allan has been aboard for 9 of those races without a win between them, which isn't necessarily a criticism of either horse or rider — sometimes a partnership just hasn't clicked at the right moment.

Per Contra raced just one day ago, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its season. At five, it has experience on its side and, if the ground plays ball, there may still be another win in it before the year is out.