Yaaser

The good news is that Jim Goldie's yard at Uplawmoor has him looking sharp again. Goldie, who saddled 88 winners this season alone, knows this horse well: he has trained Yaaser since that first career win at Musselburgh in May 2022, and has spotted genuine improvements. The trainer noted before a recent race that Yaaser "looks to be back to his best and his best is very good," and observed that the horse showed his wellbeing in the paddock — a small detail that experienced trainers use to judge a horse's readiness. When Yaaser runs on normal, standard ground, he wins roughly 1 in every 5 races (6 wins from 29), a marked difference from his Class 4 form of just 1 in 14 races. At Musselburgh, his home track, he has won 3 of 12 attempts, making it a course where he reliably competes.

Paul Mulrennan has partnered Yaaser in 34 races and has an impressive 24% win rate aboard him — 8 victories together. That is a genuine understanding between horse and jockey. Goldie's insight into how Yaaser runs is also revealing: the trainer prefers to hold him back in a race, letting pace develop before asking for his effort, rather than riding positively early. Over seven furlongs with a strong galloping pace, this horse appears to be in his element. He has shown he can handle a stiffer mile too, but eight months without a win means Yaaser needs to prove he has genuinely returned to form rather than simply looking well in the paddock.