Percy's Lad

Chester is a tight, unusual circuit — a left-handed loop that rewards horses who know it and punishes those who don't. Percy's Lad clearly knows it. He won there in August 2022, then came back nearly two years later and did it again in May 2024, landing a top-level Class 2 race both times. That is two wins from seven attempts at the track, which sounds modest until you consider that Class 2 races attract the best of the best and most horses never win one at all. Joint-trainer Claire Kubler has spoken about how well he handles a high draw there — finishing third from an awkward stall the year before his 2024 win — which suggests the horse has genuinely figured the place out rather than getting lucky once.

His partnership with jockey Richard Kingscote is another reason to take notice. The two have been together for 9 races and won 3 of them — that is 1 win in every 3 rides, a ratio that stands well above Percy's Lad's overall career average. Kingscote himself has talked warmly about the horse, describing his first win at Great Yarmouth in April 2022 as something Percy's Lad was "entitled" to do based on his earlier promise. There is clearly a mutual understanding there.

The conditions matter too. On fast, dry ground Percy's Lad has won 2 of his 6 races — 1 in 3 — and over a mile and one to a mile and two furlongs he has won 2 of just 4 attempts, a 50% record that is remarkable by any measure. Get the right track, the right conditions, and the right distance, and this horse can trouble the best around.

His recent form shows a string of mid-field finishes, with his last win now 24 months ago. But Daniel Kubler has spoken about Percy's Lad looking sharper and more manageable of late, describing a recent run at Newmarket as a "blinder" against what looked a smart rival. The Kubler yard has sent out 34 winners this season and clearly has the horse pointed at Chester again. If the ground dries out and Kingscote is aboard, it would be unwise to dismiss him.