Ring Of Gold

The real story, though, is what happens when conditions turn wet. Ring Of Gold has won 3 of its last 7 races on slow, muddy ground — a win rate of roughly 43 percent. Put it out on fast, firm ground and the numbers drop sharply. This is not unusual in racing, but it is the kind of detail that matters to trainers Michael and David Easterby and their team at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire. When the forecast shows rain, Ring Of Gold's name tends to get circled on the race card. The horse also performs well over a middle distance of seven furlongs to one mile, winning 5 of 29 races at that trip, and has shown itself to be a specialist at Kempton Park with 2 wins from 6 visits — better odds than its record suggests on average ground.

The tough side is recent form. Ring Of Gold last won on 25 September 2025 at Newcastle, which is now 11 months ago. It raced just yesterday and came ninth, and before that it has not broken the top three in six consecutive runs. The horse is not in a purple patch. At nine years old, it is in the veteran bracket of racing, and while plenty of horses run competitively into their early teens, the dry spell does raise questions. Joanna Mason has been its regular rider, but together they have managed just 2 wins from 30 races — not a combination sparking confidence. What Ring Of Gold needs is a return of the wet ground and a race where the distance and level play to its strengths.