Speeding Bullet

What makes Speeding Bullet interesting is that trainer Paul Midgley has clearly identified what works for him, even if the wins have dried up. Midgley, who runs a yard at Westow in North Yorkshire and has sent out thirty-nine winners this season, recognises that the horse thrives over six furlongs on slow, wet ground. When those conditions align, Speeding Bullet delivers. His Pontefract win came precisely when the ground suited him and the distance was right. Midgley has experimented — pushing him up to a mile, trying him over five furlongs at Newcastle — but those forays have been lessons learned. The trainer is clear: six furlongs on soft or muddy ground brings out the best in this horse.

David Nolan has been his regular jockey, though their record together is modest at one win from six races (17% win rate). Still, Nolan has been aboard for enough runs to understand what the horse needs. For a horse sitting dormant in the win column for over a year, Speeding Bullet remains active and willing. The second-place finishes in his last two races suggest he is competitive at his level — Class 5 racing — even if the breakthrough hasn't come. At five years old, with his preferences now well understood by his yard, he remains a horse that could catch a race if the ground turns soft and the distance is right.