Southoftheborder

The most striking number in his record is what happens when the conditions suit him. On normal ground, he has won 3 of his 6 races — that is 50%, meaning he wins one in every two attempts when the track is neither muddy nor baked dry. That is not a coincidence; that is a horse with a clear preference. Pair that with his best distance — between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, where he has won 2 of his 3 races — and you have a trainer who has learned exactly when to press the button.

Henrietta Knight, who has sent out 15 winners already this season, has been deliberately careful with this horse. After an early run at Sandown she described him as a horse they had "only taken half the wraps off", warning that because he is very big, pushing him too hard too soon could be counterproductive. That kind of restraint is not always fashionable in racing, but Southoftheborder seems to have rewarded it. He opened his account at Ffos Las in March 2023, and this week — just days ago — he won at Aintree. Aintree is one of the most famous racecourses in the world, home to the Grand National, and winning there at any level matters.

The one tension in his profile is that he has yet to win in 7 attempts at Class 3, which represents a step up in quality from where he has found his best form. He has been placed — second or third — 10 times in 15 career races, which tells you he is consistently competitive without always getting over the line at the higher level. But with 2 wins from his last 6 races and a trainer who believes there is more to come over longer distances and eventually over fences, the sense around the yard is that Southoftheborder has not yet shown everything he has. At 8 years old, that is a genuinely intriguing thing to be able to say.