Profiteer

The most striking thing about Profiteer is what wet weather does for it. On soft or muddy ground, it has won 2 of its 6 races — that is 1 in every 3, which is a completely different animal to the horse that wins just 1 in 15 on its usual class of racing. When the skies open and the ground gets heavy, Profiteer suddenly becomes a serious contender rather than a reliable also-ran. It is the kind of detail that matters enormously and that casual observers would never guess from looking at its overall record.

Trained by Tim Easterby at Great Habton in North Yorkshire, Profiteer comes from a yard firing on all cylinders — 126 winners already this season, which is the output of an operation that knows exactly what it is doing. David Allan rides Profiteer most often, partnering the horse in 16 of its 29 races for 1 win together, roughly 1 in every 16 rides. That is a modest return, but the pair keep being put together, which suggests the team see something in the combination worth persisting with.

Profiteer's last win came at Pontefract in October 2024 — nearly 19 months ago now — and the recent run of form reads 11th, 11th, 5th, 11th, 4th, 5th in its last six races, which is frustrating rather than alarming. The horse is not disgracing itself, but the wins have dried up. It raced just yesterday, so it is clearly being kept busy. The distance range of seven furlongs to a mile suits it best — 1 win from 4 races at those trips — and if those conditions align with a wet forecast, Profiteer is exactly the sort of horse a knowledgeable friend would quietly mention before the race.