Water Of Leith

Goldie, based at Uplawmoor in Lanarkshire, has had a productive season — 88 winners sent out from the yard — and Water Of Leith is one of the reasons why. The horse has won twice since rejoining Goldie, having first won for the stable as a youngster, left for a spell elsewhere, then returned after a win at Carlisle for trainer Rebecca Menzies in July 2022. Since coming back, he has climbed from a rating of 61 to 76, which in practical terms means the sport's handicappers have looked at his recent performances and decided he needs to carry more weight to keep things fair. That is the sign of a horse in genuine form.

And the form really is there. His last six races read 5-6-4-1-3-2 — a horse bang in the mix every time out. He won at Wolverhampton six weeks ago and has not been far away since. Most recently he was involved in a rough race at Windsor, where he was badly hampered by another horse drifting into his path, but the stewards promoted him to third. That kind of run — where the horse performs well despite interference — often tells you more about a horse's ability than a smooth victory. He then ran another solid race shortly after.

Paul Mulrennan is the jockey who knows him best, having won 5 of their 31 races together — that is a win rate of about 1 in every 6 rides, which is genuinely strong for a partnership at this level. Water Of Leith does things on his own terms, though: he must walk to the start rather than be led at pace, and he loads into the starting stalls without a jockey on board. Goldie knows his quirks inside out, and that familiarity clearly matters. On normal ground he wins 1 in every 4 races — 4 wins from 16 — which is an excellent return.

At eight, he is not getting younger. But right now, Water Of Leith is running the best races of his life.