Starliner

The most interesting number in Starliner's record is the one attached to fast, dry ground: two wins from just five races on the firm stuff, which works out at 40%. That is a remarkable conversion rate for a horse that otherwise wins around 1 in every 11 races. It tells you something useful — when the ground dries out, Starliner becomes a different proposition entirely. Keep that in mind.

The yard behind this horse is Linda Perratt's operation out of East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, which has sent out 19 winners already this season — a solid, productive outfit. Starliner's most regular partner in the saddle is Tommie Jakes, who has ridden the horse in 13 of its races and won once together. That's roughly 1 win from every 13 rides, which is a workmanlike partnership rather than a magical one. But partnerships build over time, and Jakes knows this horse better than almost anyone.

What lifts the profile right now is the timing. Starliner won at Ayr just last week — the 5th of May 2026 — and raced again yesterday. That means the team is keeping this horse busy and confident, running it while it's in form rather than sitting on the result. Recent runs show a ninth, then a win, then a fourth — the form is inconsistent but the peak is recent and real. The first win of Starliner's career came at Listowel back in September 2023, and the horse has been adding to its record steadily since.

Class 4 is the level where Starliner does its best work — two wins from 16 races at that grade, just over 1 in every 8. It is not a horse threatening the top races in Britain, but at its own level, on the right ground, with recent racing under its belt, it is exactly the kind of runner a shrewd racegoer learns to keep an eye on.