Robusto

His recent form tells a genuinely encouraging story. After a run of two second-place finishes, Robusto went one better and won at Wolverhampton just this week — his first victory since Kempton last July. That gap between wins was not entirely down to form: Eve Johnson Houghton's yard revealed he had banged a joint, which forced a frustrating wait before he could get back on track. Four runner-up finishes during that stretch suggest he was rarely far off the pace, just not quite getting over the line. The win at Wolverhampton feels like a release of that pent-up promise.

The most interesting number in Robusto's record is what happens at Lingfield Park. He has won 2 of his 6 races there — that is 1 in every 3 visits to that particular track, compared with his overall rate of roughly 1 in every 6 races across his career. Course form like that is rarely a coincidence; some horses simply suit a track's layout, its bends, or its surface, and Lingfield clearly suits this one. Anywhere his the yard plan to run him at Lingfield should be noted.

The trickier figure is his record in Class 4 races, which is the level he contests most often. Just 1 win from 19 attempts at that grade — 5%, or roughly 1 in every 19 races — shows that stepping up to compete at a higher standard of field is a real challenge. But jockey Luke Morris has found the key more often than most, winning 2 of his 6 rides aboard the horse, a rate of 1 in every 3 — well above the horse's career average. When Morris is booked, it has historically been worth paying attention.

Eve Johnson Houghton's Blewbury yard has sent out 39 winners this season, so there is plenty of confidence and momentum behind the operation. Robusto is not their star turn, but with a win already banked this week and that Lingfield affinity waiting to be exploited again, he looks like a horse with more to give before the season is out.