Watchoutitscookie

The ground matters here. On slightly soft going — when there has been a bit of rain and the track has some give in it — Watchoutitscookie has won 2 of its 9 races, a win rate of roughly 1 in 5. That is dramatically better than its overall record and suggests this is a horse that genuinely comes alive when conditions suit. On fast or dry ground, it is a different animal entirely. Keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Nigel Hawke trains from a yard in Stoodleigh, Devon, and has sent out 12 winners already this season — a productive spell for a regional trainer. Lorcan Murtagh takes the ride most often, having partnered the horse 8 times for 1 win together, a win rate of about 1 in 8. That is modest, but the partnership has clearly been trusted to continue.

The most recent win came at Newcastle on 14 December 2024 — which is now 19 months ago, and the six races since have brought nothing better than a third place. The recent form of 3-11-7-3-7-3 shows a horse that occasionally finds its way into the frame but has drifted up to an 11th and a 7th in that sequence too. It raced just yesterday, so it is clearly in active training and being kept busy. At Class 5, which is where most of its career has been spent, it has won 2 from 27 races. That is not a dominant force at this level, but it is a horse that keeps showing up — and sometimes, in racing, that counts for something.