Soul Seeker

The last win came at Sandown Park in September 2024 — now 20 months ago — and the recent form makes for uncomfortable reading: finishing 5th, 7th, 13th, 11th, 8th and 7th across the last six races. There is no way to dress that up. Soul Seeker has not been threatening the podium of late, and at nine years old, the question of whether another win is coming is a fair one. That said, the horse raced just one day ago, so whatever else is true, the enthusiasm for turning up has not dimmed.

Philip Kirby trains out of East Appleton in North Yorkshire, and his yard has been in decent nick this season with 36 winners — a yard clearly doing something right. The regular partner in the saddle is Daniel Tudhope, who has ridden Soul Seeker in 12 races together and come away with 2 wins, a win rate of 17% — roughly 1 in every 6 rides together. That is actually a stronger ratio than the horse's overall record, which suggests Tudhope gets the best out of this particular animal.

The ground matters too. Soul Seeker's best performances come on normal conditions, where the record reads 3 wins from 15 races — a 20% win rate, or 1 in every 5 attempts. That is genuinely competitive and doubles the overall win rate, so when the ground comes up right, it is worth paying attention. Most of its racing life has been spent at Class 4 level, mid-tier competition where it has won 2 from 20, but the Sandown success hints at a horse capable of performing on a decent stage when the conditions suit. The career may be in its later chapters, but Soul Seeker keeps showing up, and sometimes that counts for something.