Royal Velvet

Trained by William Knight at Newmarket, Royal Velvet has been climbing the levels steadily. He won a top-class race at Newmarket in July 2025 and backed that up with another Class 2 victory at York in August — proof he can compete at the highest domestic level when conditions suit. His most recent win came at Lingfield Park on 9 May 2026, and he is still actively racing after competing just yesterday. This is a horse with genuine appetite for the track.

The key to unlocking him lies in ground conditions. On normal ground, he has won two of his three races — a 67 per cent rate that towers above his overall form. Soft or heavy ground appears to dull his effectiveness. He also shows an affinity for Great Yarmouth, where he has won twice in four attempts. At the tougher Class 4 level, however, he has managed only 2 wins from 8 races, suggesting that when the opposition strengthens, he can struggle to find that winning touch. Still, this remains a genuinely capable horse, and with Buick in the saddle on normal ground at a course he knows well, Royal Velvet is always worth watching.