Alto Alto

Trained by Chris Gordon out of Morestead in Hampshire — a yard that has sent out 51 winners already this season — Alto Alto was bought for £21,000 and has more than repaid the faith placed in him, winning five times and placing on 12 other occasions from 29 races. Chris Gordon himself has described him as "a grand horse," and that affectionate understatement says a lot. He is not a star, but he is exactly what makes jump racing worth following: a horse with a clear identity, a quirky personality, and a course where he genuinely thrives.

What unlocked him most recently was a combination of small fields, front-running, and the addition of a visor — a piece of headgear that helps some horses concentrate. Jockey Freddie Gordon, speaking after his latest Plumpton win in February 2025, noted that the horse was "completely changed" compared to a previous run at Windsor, describing him as a different animal altogether when allowed to bowl along in front on ground he loves. Alto Alto has won 4 of his 9 races on wet or muddy ground — nearly 1 in 2 — and that preference is not a minor detail; it is central to how the team plans his season.

At nine years old, with no win in his last six races and his most recent Plumpton success now 15 months ago, the team are hunting carefully for the right opening — keeping him in the lowest grade possible and eyeing specific races at Fontwell as an alternative venue. His regular partner Tom Cannon has ridden him to 1 win from 8 attempts together, a modest 12% return that tells its own story: this is a horse who needs conditions to fall right. When they do, at that one track, on soft ground, in front — Alto Alto tends to deliver.