Rock Of England

He is trained by Paul Midgley at Westow in North Yorkshire, and it is worth putting that in context: Midgley's yard has sent out 37 winners already this season, which tells you this is a busy, well-run operation that knows how to get horses to the track ready to perform. Rock Of England is one of those reliable soldiers every good yard needs — not a headline act, but a horse who earns his keep.

Most of his career has been spent in Class 4 races, which sit in the middle tier of British racing — competitive enough to test a horse, but not the elite level. At that grade, he has won 2 from 15, or roughly 1 in every 7 or 8 attempts. It sounds modest, but Class 4 fields are rarely a soft touch, and just getting placed in 13 of 37 races overall shows a horse who is consistently doing his job.

His most interesting regular partner is jockey David Nolan, who has ridden him 8 times without a winner between them. That kind of record raises an eyebrow — 0 from 8 is a tough run, and yet the partnership keeps going, which suggests the team sees something they like in the combination, or at least in the horse. His career began with a win at Thirsk in June 2022, and his most recent victory came at Newcastle just two weeks ago — which means Rock Of England is not fading into the background. At six, he is in the prime of his career, and that recent Newcastle win will have given everyone around him a reason to keep believing he has more to offer.