The Kemble Brewery

The seven-year-old is trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, based in Gloucestershire, and the yard has had a productive season with 31 winners already on the board. But even within a successful operation, this horse stands out. Bailey has described him as genuinely talented, someone who has always been liked at the yard — though not without some exasperation. The trainer's assessment is essentially this: here is an animal with real ability who would try the patience of a saint, because he is so laid-back that you sometimes want to shake him before he gets going. That combination of natural talent and extreme relaxedness is more common in racehorses than you might think, and it does not always end well. Here, it seems to have found its best expression.

The journey has not been straightforward. After winning his first two races, the horse sliced into the back of his tendon at Cheltenham and came within millimetres of never racing again. The owners waited. The team persevered. In April 2023, he returned to win at Huntingdon, and six months later he won one of the top races in Britain at Cheltenham — the very track that nearly ended his career. That is the kind of symmetry that makes racing genuinely moving for the people involved.

His recent form shows two wins from his last six races, with a couple of quieter outings in between. His most regular partner in the saddle is Tom Bellamy, who has ridden him to two wins from five races together — a 40% win rate that speaks to a decent working relationship. And most recently, just this week, The Kemble Brewery won at Chepstow, confirming that at seven years old and fully fit, he is not done yet. Bailey has spoken about stepping him up in grade, confident that his form holds up and that the talent is real. Given the evidence so far, it is difficult to argue.