Unico

Gordon's yard at Morestead in Hampshire has sent out 51 winners this season alone, so this is a team that knows how to place a horse well. Unico sits in Class 5 company — the everyday, bread-and-butter level of British racing — and has won 2 of her 18 races at that level, or roughly 1 in 9. That is modest, but the picture is more interesting when you look at where she has actually won. Her first victory came at Chelmsford in September 2023, and her most recent was at Brighton in September 2025 — two very different tracks, which suggests she is adaptable rather than a one-trick specialist.

Her recent form tells a mixed story. Going back through her last six races, she has finished 8th, 8th, 3rd, 4th, 1st, 3rd. Two poor runs, then a win, then two more disappointments. Gordon is relaxed about it: she is rated 59, she finished third at Lingfield last time out over six furlongs, and the plan is to keep her busy in all-weather races aimed at horses like her. That is the voice of a trainer who is not chasing something he cannot have — he knows what he has got, he likes her, and he is going to use her accordingly.

Jockey Josie Gordon's post-race comments after Yarmouth add a useful detail: Unico can be a little green, a little nervous, and when she hits the front she is sometimes unsure what to do with herself. That kind of raw, slightly unbuttoned horse can be frustrating — but it also means there may be more in the tank once she settles into herself. Harry Davies has ridden her five times and won once, a rate of 1 in 5, which is actually better than her overall career average. Whether that partnership continues matters. Unico is not a star, but she is alive, busy, and in the hands of a yard in form. In racing, that is often enough.