Port Erin

What makes him interesting, though, is that he was not always struggling. Trained by Tony Carroll at Cropthorne in Worcestershire — a yard that has sent out 136 winners this season and clearly knows how to train a decent horse — Port Erin has shown genuine ability at Class 5 level, winning 4 of his 19 races there (21%). He also shows a strong preference for normal ground, winning 2 of 6 races (33%) when conditions suit. His partnership with jockey Jack Doughty has been his most fruitful, with the pair combining for 2 wins from 7 races together (29%), suggesting that the right rider can bring out his best. His first win came at Newcastle on 15 August 2023, and he pieced together several victories in the following years. But the current drought — unplaced in his last six outings — hints that he may be approaching the end of his useful years on the track, or simply needs a significant change of circumstances to break back into winning ways.