St Faz

What makes him genuinely interesting right now is the form he has found in recent weeks. Four wins from his last six races is a remarkable run of consistency for any horse, and he backed it up just last week with a win at Musselburgh. He is very much in the form of his life at the age of six, which is when many horses are hitting their peak. Adrian Paul Keatley, who trains him from his yard in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, has had a productive season — 40 winners sent out already — and St Faz looks like one of the yard's flagbearers right now. After a win at Lingfield, Keatley was enthusiastic about what comes next, talking about building on consecutive victories, exploring some summer opportunities, and keeping his options open between the flat and jumps. That kind of ambition from a trainer usually means a horse is thriving at home as well as on the track.

There is a course he particularly loves: Southwell, where he has won 3 of his 4 races. Winning three from four anywhere is impressive; doing it at a specific track suggests the place genuinely suits him, whether that's the layout, the surface, or simply that he's been placed there cleverly. His best distance range is 1 mile 6 furlongs to 2 miles, where he has won 6 of 13 races — nearly half of everything he has run at those trips. He also handles normal conditions well, winning 4 of 6 races on a standard surface.

His regular jockey, Phillip Enright, has won just 1 of their 9 races together — roughly 1 in every 9 — which is notably below St Faz's overall average. That's not necessarily a criticism of either horse or rider, but it's the kind of detail worth keeping in mind. The horse's first win came at Down Royal back in July 2023, and he has been steadily building since. Keatley once noted that they were disappointed St Faz didn't win more as a younger horse, and that better ground made a real difference. He has clearly found his feet now.