Thank The Lord

That yard belongs to Gary Harrison, tucked away in Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire — not a name you'll find dominating the headlines, but a trainer who clearly knows what he has here. The partnership that makes the most sense on paper is with jockey Theodore Ladd, who has ridden Thank The Lord to 3 of its 5 wins from 11 races together. That's a win rate of 27%, or roughly 1 in every 4 rides — noticeably better than the horse's overall average, which suggests the two have developed a real understanding.

Almost everything Thank The Lord has achieved has come at the lower end of the sport. Five wins from 31 races at Class 6 — the entry level of British racing — tells you this is a horse competing where it belongs, not being pushed beyond its limits. On normal ground it has won 2 of 6 races, a 33% success rate that stands out as its best surface record. The first win came at Salisbury back in July 2022, and the most recent at Chelmsford in December 2023 — now 29 months ago, which is a long gap.

That drought is the obvious cloud hanging over Thank The Lord right now. The last six results read 14th, 9th, 10th, 6th, 8th, and 2nd — a shape that suggests the horse is creeping back towards form rather than moving away from it. A runner-up finish is encouraging, and the fact it raced just yesterday means the team clearly still believes there is a race to be won. Whether that belief is rewarded soon will define how this chapter of the story ends.