Zero Carbon

The reason Kempton suits it so well isn't hard to explain. Trainer Mark Loughnane, based at Rock Farm in Worcestershire, has been refreshingly candid about what this horse needs: a turning track and a trip of around seven furlongs to a mile. Kempton's tight, round circuit is exactly that. Across all distances, Zero Carbon has won 6 of its 20 races at the seven-furlong to one-mile range — that's 30%, or nearly 1 in 3 — making the pattern pretty clear. Get the trip and the track right, and this is a horse that wins. Get it wrong, and the results in its last six runs (finishing 13th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 6th, and 2nd) suggest it can look ordinary.

The partnership with jockey Finley Marsh is worth noting too. The pair have worked together in 17 races and produced 5 wins — a 29% win rate, or just under 1 in 3. That's a strong number for any horse-jockey combination, and it suggests Marsh knows how to get the best out of this particular animal.

Loughnane hasn't hidden his frustration at finding the right opportunities. After Zero Carbon's last win at Kempton in August 2024 — a tight victory by a head — the handicapper immediately pushed its weight up by 4 pounds, which makes finding a winnable race significantly harder. The yard has still sent out 25 winners this season, so it's clearly in form. The question is whether Zero Carbon, who hasn't won in 21 months, can find the right race to remind everyone what it's capable of. Given how specific its requirements are — the right track, the right trip, possibly some cut in the ground — Loughnane will know the moment a suitable opportunity appears. When it does, this horse has form to suggest it will be very hard to beat.