Almeraq

Trained by William Haggas out of Newmarket, Almeraq is in one of the most productive yards in the country right now. Haggas's team has sent out 176 winners this season alone — that's not a trainer who relies on luck. Horses that come through that yard tend to be well-prepared and well-placed, which makes Almeraq's record feel even more credible. When a good trainer puts a horse in a race, it usually means they think it has a genuine chance.

The horse broke its duck at Great Yarmouth in October 2024, then followed it up with a win at Ayr in July 2025 — two different tracks, two different parts of the country, which suggests Almeraq isn't a one-trick pony dependent on a single course or set of conditions. The recent form reading 1-2-1-2 (working back from that Ayr win) is the kind of consistency that makes a horse genuinely interesting to follow. Four races, four times in the first two home.

The one note of caution is the gap since that last win. Almeraq hasn't raced for around six months, which is a meaningful break for any horse, and particularly for a young three-year-old still developing. A long absence doesn't always mean something went wrong — trainers sometimes give horses time deliberately — but it does mean there's a question mark over how sharp the horse will be on its return. With a yard as experienced as Haggas's behind it, though, you'd back them to know when the horse is ready to run again.

What Almeraq has done in five races — a 40% win rate, or 2 wins from 5, with zero poor performances — is the kind of foundation most horses never manage. The next chapter, whenever it comes, will be worth watching.