Sycamore Gap

That sole career win came at Newcastle in September 2024, nearly 19 months ago now, and it arrived over the kind of trip Sycamore Gap clearly prefers — the longer distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles. Over that range, the record reads 1 win from 10 races, which is a 10% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 10. That might not sound dramatic, but it doubles the horse's overall career average and suggests there is at least a version of this horse worth backing when the conditions suit.

Sycamore Gap competes almost exclusively at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, which is where horses of this ability tend to spend their careers. At that level, it has won 1 from 9 races — around 11%, or just over 1 in every 9. Recent form tells a more encouraging story: the last six runs read 9-8-5-1-2-2, which means after some difficult outings earlier in that sequence, the horse has been consistently finishing second or better. Two consecutive runner-up spots suggest it is racing in decent form right now, even if converting that into a win has so far proved elusive.

The trainer is Stephen Hanlon, operating out of Constable Burton in North Yorkshire — a small yard that has sent out 3 winners this season. It is not a big operation, but small yards can be nimble, and getting a horse like Sycamore Gap placed regularly takes patience and good placing. Whether the yard can find the right race to get this horse back to the winner's enclosure for just the second time in its career remains the question. Given the current form, the answer might not be too far away.