Thank You Blue

The story behind that improvement is a striking one. Trainer Jennie Candlish, whose yard in Basford, Staffordshire has sent out 60 winners this season alone, has spoken openly about the problems Thank You Blue encountered jumping fences — two falls and three times pulled up before the yard decided enough was enough. Moving him back to hurdles has transformed the picture entirely. He has won his last three races over hurdles, and jockey Sean Quinlan, speaking after one of those wins at Sedgefield, described a horse jumping really well and galloping all the way to the line. The turnaround from fence-faller to confident, fluent hurdler is remarkable.

Sedgefield is where Thank You Blue thrives most. He has won 3 of his 4 races at that track — a record so dominant it goes beyond coincidence. Something about the place simply suits him, whether it is the track shape, the ground, or the atmosphere. He last won there just eight weeks ago, and the wet or soft ground that Sedgefield often serves up works perfectly in his favour too: he wins 2 from 7 on heavy or wet ground, and 2 from 8 on slightly soft ground — a combined picture of a horse who genuinely relishes conditions that put off lesser animals.

His partnership with jockey Lewis Stones is also worth noting. Together they have won 4 of their 20 races — that is 1 in every 5, a meaningfully better rate than his overall career average — which suggests real understanding between horse and rider. He raced just yesterday and remains in active training, with Candlish indicating he could line up at Ayr under a penalty this week, with entries over both hurdles and fences. That fence entry is intriguing given his history, but the hurdles option looks far the more likely route given everything that has clicked into place. At nine, and on the best form of his career, Thank You Blue is well worth following.