Alphonse Le Grande

Those three wins in 2024 are worth dwelling on. Chester in May, Newcastle in June, Newmarket in October — three of the most recognisable tracks in British racing, all at Class 2 level, which means one step below the very top tier. Winning once at that level takes a good horse. Winning three times in a single season suggests a horse who had found his moment and was making the most of it. His first career win came back in December 2021 at Wolverhampton, so it took time to get going, but when it clicked, it really clicked.

On normal ground he wins roughly 3 in every 10 races — a 30% win rate that any trainer would be delighted with. His overall career record of 6 wins from 37 races works out at about 1 in every 6, which is respectable without being spectacular, but that ground stat suggests the conditions matter enormously. Catch him on the right surface and the picture changes significantly. He also has a soft spot for Dundalk, where he has won 2 of his 5 races — a 40% win rate at a single track is the kind of number that makes you sit up.

A J Martin trains him out of Summerhill in County Meath, and the yard has been in decent form this season with 13 winners already sent out. The team clearly still believes there is a race to be won with this horse, and his recent run of 5th, 12th, 13th, 7th, 6th, and 8th suggests he has been struggling to land a blow. The 12th and 13th are particularly bleak. But horses can rediscover form, and a seven-year-old with three top-level wins last year is not one to write off entirely. The question is whether those 2024 peaks were the best of him, or whether he has one more good day left in him.