President Scottie

That Haydock win is worth pausing on, because it came on wet, muddy ground — exactly the kind of conditions that suit him best. On soft or heavy ground, President Scottie has won 2 of his 10 races, a 20% win rate that works out to roughly 1 in every 5. On faster ground, that edge disappears entirely. So when the skies open and the course gets heavy, he suddenly becomes a much more interesting proposition. Trainer Nicky Richards noted after that Haydock win that his horse handled the soft ground well and stays strongly over a distance — two qualities that tend to matter more when the mud is flying.

Richards trains out of Greystoke in Cumbria and has had a productive season, sending out 39 winners. He's a man who knows northern tracks well, and President Scottie has been a consistent, if not spectacular, part of his string. The horse's most regular partner in the saddle is Danny McMenamin, who has ridden him in 16 of his 19 races and been aboard for both wins — a partnership that clearly suits, even if those victories have dried up of late.

His most recent six runs read 3-5-6-6-8-4, which tells its own story: competitive enough to place occasionally, but not quite finding that extra gear to win. At Class 4 level — a step below the top tier but still decent racing — he has won 2 of his 8 races, or 1 in every 4, which is actually his best record at any level. That suggests he belongs there and can be competitive, even if recent form has gone a little flat. He raced just one day ago, so the yard clearly keep him busy and believe there's more to come. Whether the right conditions — wet ground, Class 4, McMenamin in the saddle — can unlock another win remains the question worth watching.