Southbank

His favourite venue is Chelmsford, where he has won 3 times from 11 visits — that is more than 1 in every 4 races there, which is a genuinely impressive record at any track. At Class 6 level, the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, he has won 6 of his 27 races at that grade, a win rate of around 22%, or almost 1 in every 5. That number tells you he is not just making up the numbers — he is competitive and knows how to win.

Gordon was candid about how the horse came to the yard, explaining that Richard Venn spotted Southbank at the sales as an entertainment horse for owner Kate Digweed and her family. What they got was something better than anticipated: a tough, consistent horse who has repaid their faith. Gordon noted that when Southbank joined the yard just three weeks before winning at Bath on turf, his former trainer Stuart Williams had left him in excellent shape. He went on to win again at Kempton Park on the all-weather in October 2025, his most recent victory, now six months ago.

He raced just yesterday and his last six runs read 2-–-3-2-4-4, so the wins have dried up recently, but the placings suggest he is not far off. Gordon's plan is straightforward: keep him running on the all-weather through winter and hope another opportunity presents itself. With 45 winners already sent out by the yard this season, this is a stable in form, and Southbank is exactly the kind of dependable campaigner that earns his keep race by race. He may not be a headline act, but for a family who came into racing looking for a bit of fun, he has been rather more than that.