Silver Ghost

Both victories came in quick succession in the spring of 2025, and both were at tracks that matter. The first arrived at Newmarket in early May — a course with a reputation for finding out horses that aren't quite good enough — and then, just three weeks later, Silver Ghost stepped up to win a Class 2 race at Goodwood. That's one of the top races in Britain, the kind that separates horses with potential from horses with ability. Winning at that level at four years old is not something you paper over.

Since that Goodwood win, though, the picture has changed. Six races without a win, with recent finishes reading 9th, 10th, 6th, 6th, 3rd, and then 2nd last time out. That runner-up spot is the one to hold onto — it suggests Silver Ghost hasn't lost the ability, it just hasn't all clicked on the day. The 3rd place before it points the same way. This is a horse that has been competitive without converting, which is frustrating but not alarming.

One pattern that stands out is the preference for normal ground conditions. On a standard surface, Silver Ghost has won 2 from 7 races — a 29% win rate, or nearly 1 in every 3. That is a sharp number, and it means the yard will be watching the forecast carefully before committing to a run.

The trainer is Emma Lavelle, based at Ogbourne Maizey in Wiltshire, a yard that has sent out 47 winners already this season — a strong, consistent operation that knows what it's doing. Having Silver Ghost back to form and on the right ground at a track like Goodwood again is not an unrealistic ambition. The horse raced just yesterday, so it's bang in the middle of its season, and with a Class 2 winner already on its record, the ceiling here is genuinely interesting.