The one course where Ivory's operation has clicked into a reliable rhythm is Southwell, the all-weather track in Nottinghamshire. Three winners from 20 runners there is a 15% win rate — three times his overall average this season — and in a difficult year, that consistency is worth noting. When Ivory pitches up at Southwell, it is worth paying attention.
His most enduring story in the yard is the partnership with The Spotlight Kid, a horse he has sent out 40 times for 4 wins. Four from forty sounds modest on paper, but the sheer volume of races they have shared together tells you this is a horse the team keeps faith in, returning to the track again and again. It is the kind of long-running relationship that defines a smaller yard — you back your horses, you keep running them, and you celebrate the wins when they come.
Ivory's most regular jockey ally this season is J F Egan, who has been aboard 40 times for 2 wins between them. Again, the numbers are lean — 1 in every 20 rides together — but the frequency of the partnership suggests a trust that goes beyond results alone. In a season where winners have been hard to come by, having a reliable jockey who keeps showing up matters.
The honest read on Ivory right now is that this is a yard in a difficult spell, working through a season where the percentages have not fallen kindly. Sixty-six career winners in four years is nothing to dismiss, and his record at Southwell hints that when conditions suit, he can still land a touch. The question heading into the rest of the season is whether he can rediscover the form that made last year look considerably more promising.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| chelmsford | 29 | 1 | 3.4% |
| Kempton Park | 27 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Wolverhampton | 24 | 1 | 4.2% |
| Southwell | 20 | 3 | 15% |
| Lingfield Park | 18 | 0 | 0% |
| Windsor | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Nottingham | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Brighton | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Newmarket | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Bath | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Leicester | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 0 | 0% |