Prydwen

The statistics that stand out most are at Wolverhampton, where Prydwen has won 3 of his 4 races. Winning three times at the same track from just four visits is the kind of number that makes experienced punters sit up — it suggests the surface, the shape of the track, or something about the routine simply suits him like a glove. All four of those Class 2 wins — at Wolverhampton twice, Newcastle, and Southwell — came on all-weather surfaces, and George Scott has spoken openly about how much his horse loves artificial ground. After the Southwell win in April 2024, Scott called it "an unbelievable effort carrying that weight" and said Prydwen was "moving into that sort of realm" where races like the Goodwood Cup become realistic targets. That is a significant thing for a trainer to say.

Scott, based at Newmarket and one of the more progressive yards in the country — 52 winners already this season — has handled Prydwen with obvious care. He noted after the Newcastle win that Prydwen had been a light-framed horse who needed time to physically fill out, and that once he did, "it opened a few doors." That journey from a first career win at Great Yarmouth in October 2021 to being discussed as a Goodwood Cup contender is a proper story. He also performs well on slightly soft ground, winning 2 of just 4 races in those conditions, and is particularly consistent when the ground is normal — 6 wins from 13 races, which works out at 46%.

His regular jockey, Callum Shepherd, has ridden him in 8 of his races for 1 win — a modest 12% together — but Scott praised Shepherd specifically after Southwell for a "lovely, confident ride." Recent form shows a win followed by a non-finish, then a handful of mid-pack results before this week's Ripon victory. At eight, Prydwen is not a young horse, but he is clearly a horse still finding new ways to win.