American Affair

And that level has been rising fast. American Affair has won four of its nine races at Class 2, which translates to a remarkable 44% win rate at that tier — nearly 1 in every 2. But the headline act came at Royal Ascot on 17 June 2025, when the horse stepped up to a Class 1 race — one of the top races in British racing — and delivered. Goldie, who has trained three generations of this horse's family, described it as "very sweet", noting that American Affair's grandfather had his own day at the same course. That kind of continuity is rare in the sport, and it clearly meant something to everyone involved.

What's made the transformation possible is jockey Paul Mulrennan, who has ridden the horse in 19 of its 26 races and won 7 of them — a win rate of 37%, or better than 1 in every 3 rides together. After the York win in May 2025, Mulrennan was candid about what he was seeing: the horse "shuts down" when it hits the front and is still raw, but it had just proven it belonged at a higher level. Goldie agreed, describing the horse as appearing genuinely fast and comfortable at sprint pace, and hinting that Royal Ascot's top races were very much on the agenda.

The most recent form makes interesting reading. After that Ascot peak, the horse has finished sixth and then 26th in its last two runs — a sharp dip that suggests it may be finding those top-level races tougher now that rivals have had time to assess it. But given that it has gone from mid-70s ratings to winning at Ascot in little over a year, and that Jim Goldie's yard has already sent out 88 winners this season alone, it would be unwise to write off a horse that has done nothing but surprise people so far.