Spartan Arrow

What is interesting here is the pairing with jockey Hollie Doyle, one of the most capable riders in the sport. Doyle has ridden Spartan Arrow eleven times and won three of those races — a 27% win rate that is noticeably higher than the horse's overall 23%. That tells you that Doyle understands the animal and gets the best out of it. The trainer, Archie Watson, has a strong yard at Upper Lambourn that sent out 62 winners this season, so the support is there. Watson also gets the most out of the horse on normal ground, where Spartan Arrow has won 2 of 5 races (40%), and when stepped up to Class 3 company — the decent races — it has won 2 of 6 (33%).

The question now is whether Spartan Arrow can rediscover that form. A ten-month drought is a long silence, and the recent efforts suggest the spark is dimming. But with Doyle in the saddle and Watson in the yard, this horse has the right team around it, and normal ground at a Class 3 track remains its sweet spot. It will need to string together a couple of better runs before the story changes, but on its day it is plainly capable of winning.