American Sniper

The most telling moment came at Newbury in November 2024, when he won one of the top races in Britain — a Class 2. It was his first run at that trip and, as jockey Jack Tudor put it afterwards, they were going into the unknown a little. They got a clean run in front, American Sniper was able to conserve energy early on, and he delivered when it mattered. That kind of performance on fast, dry ground — which trainer David Pipe has since confirmed suits him — pointed to a horse with more to offer than his everyday results suggested.

That Newbury win opened a door. Earlier this year, David Pipe mentioned that the team were hoping to see American Sniper run at Cheltenham if he could squeeze in at the foot of the weights, and the horse duly made it there — finishing third, with Pipe noting he had fancied him beforehand and that a tongue-tie fitted for the first time probably helped. Third at Cheltenham, the most famous jump racing venue in Britain, is not something to wave away. His most recent win came at Newton Abbot just five weeks ago, so he arrives at this point in the season in form.

The one honest caveat is that most of his racing has come at Class 3 level, where he has won just 1 from 16 attempts — a rate of around 1 in 16, which is modest. His regular partner Jack Tudor has ridden him 11 times for that single win, suggesting the combination has not always clicked. But American Sniper is a horse whose best days have come when the conditions are right — fast ground, the right trip, a race run to suit him. When those stars align, as they did at Newbury and Cheltenham, he is clearly capable of mixing it with much better horses than he typically faces.