Rickety Gate

His record on normal ground is where the real interest lies. On fast, dry ground or standard conditions, he has won 4 of 11 races — that is winning more than a third of the time on his preferred surface, compared to just 1 win from 18 in all other circumstances combined. The message is simple: when the ground suits him, he becomes a different animal. His trainer Nicky Richards has been clear about this too, noting he wants to avoid soft or muddy conditions if possible. Richards, based at Greystoke in Cumbria, has sent out 39 winners this season alone, so when he talks about conditions, it is worth listening.

Kelso stands out as his happy hunting ground. Two wins from just 4 races there is a remarkable return — it means every time he has walked into that track, he has had a 50-50 chance of winning. At Class 5 level, where he races most often, he has won 3 of 18 races overall (17%), but those Kelso performances suggest he rises to a particular occasion there in a way the broader numbers do not fully capture.

His most productive partnership has been with jockey Conor Rabbitt, who has ridden him to 4 of his 5 wins from 11 races together — winning roughly 1 in every 3 rides. That is an unusually strong hit rate for a horse at this level. Richards has also hinted that jumping fences could be in the future, after Rickety Gate impressed with his jumping at Carlisle. His last win came there in April 2025, and his last 6 races have produced no wins — though two third-place finishes in that run suggest he has not gone away completely.

At 11, Rickety Gate is not building toward anything. He is simply a dependable racehorse doing what he does: turning up, competing hard, and waiting for the right conditions to remind everyone he can still find a winning line.