Aajej

Where Aajej really starts to look interesting is over longer distances. At a mile and six furlongs up to two miles, he has won 1 from 5 races — a 20% win rate, or 1 in every 5 — which is meaningfully better than his overall record. That is the kind of stat that suggests a horse is still finding his ideal trip, and over that longer distance he is a different animal. Stamina appears to be his friend.

His recent form reads 12-9-1-5-5-2, which tells a decent story. That winning run sandwiched between a second place and a flurry of mid-pack finishes points to a horse who has had a peak moment but is still working out how to string things together consistently. He raced just yesterday, which means he is firmly in the thick of things right now. Trained by Richard Phillips out of Adlestrop in Gloucestershire — a yard that has sent out 3 winners already this season — Aajej is competing at Class 4 level, which is the bread-and-butter middle ground of British racing. At that level, he has won 1 from 5 races, again hitting that 20% mark over his preferred conditions. For the Phillips team, he is clearly a horse worth persisting with.