Sanilam

Trained by Sandy Thomson at his yard in Lambden, Berwickshire, Sanilam is part of a stable having a strong season — 18 winners sent out already, which is a healthy return for any yard. Sandy Thomson has built a reputation for knowing his horses well, and Sanilam looks like a prime example of that: placed in the right races, at the right tracks, at the right time.

Those tracks are worth paying attention to. Sanilam has a particular liking for Ayr, winning 2 of its 4 races there — a 50% win rate at a single course is the kind of number that makes experienced racegoers take notice. When a horse keeps coming back to the same track and keeps winning, it usually means the place suits them: the shape of the circuit, the ground, the way the race tends to unfold. Ayr is where Sanilam got off the mark for the first time back in March 2025, and it has clearly remained a happy hunting ground.

Current form is every bit as encouraging as the career numbers. In its last six races, Sanilam has won three times — including a victory at Musselburgh just four weeks ago. The sequence reads like a horse that has found its groove: two blanks, then three wins from four outings. That kind of consistency in recent weeks is exactly what you want to see. It raced again just yesterday, which shows the team are keeping it busy while it is in form — a sure sign of confidence.

Jockey Brian Hughes, one of the top riders in the north of England and Scotland, has been in the saddle for five of Sanilam's races and won two of them — that same 40% win rate that runs through almost everything connected with this horse. Hughes is not a jockey who wastes his time on hopeless causes, and the fact he keeps coming back to ride Sanilam says something in itself. At Class 4 level — solid, competitive racing without being the very top tier — Sanilam has won 2 from 5 at the same 40% clip. A horse that does what it says on the tin, every single time.