Thapa Vc

The numbers at Bath are what really catch the eye. Two wins from just 5 races at that track is a remarkable return — winning 2 in every 5 is the kind of ratio most horses never sniff across their entire career, let alone at a specific venue. Something about Bath suits Thapa Vc, whether it's the tight, undulating track or the style of racing it produces. The last of those wins came on 30 September 2025, around 8 months ago, so the memory is fresh enough to matter when the entries come around again.

Soft, wet ground is another string to the bow. On genuinely soggy surfaces, Thapa Vc has won 2 from 7 races — just under 1 in 3 — which is a significant edge. Most horses either handle heavy ground or they don't, and this one clearly does. When the forecast turns grim and others are struggling through the mud, Thapa Vc tends to find its feet.

The bulk of its career has been spent at Class 5, one step up from the bottom of the racing ladder in Britain, and at that level it has been genuinely competitive — 9 wins from 39 races, or nearly 1 in 4. That's a solid record. Rob Hornby has been the regular partner, though the pair have won just 2 of their 16 races together, which is around 1 in 8 — not a standout partnership on the numbers alone. Mark Rimell, training out of Leafield in Oxfordshire, has had 9 winners this season, and Thapa Vc was part of that story earlier in the campaign.

The last 6 races have produced no wins — a spell of 3rd, 5th, 11th, 4th, 6th, and 8th — suggesting the horse is finding it harder than it once did. But it raced just yesterday, which means the team is still firmly in the game with it. At 8 years old, with Bath on the horizon and soft ground always possible, there may still be one or two more days in the sun.