Ammes

Trained by James Owen out of Newmarket, Ammes has been steadily climbing the ladder. Owen's yard has sent out 205 winners this season alone, so this is not a horse lost in a quiet backwater — it is part of a genuinely productive operation. The horse made its first career win at Chepstow in May 2025, then returned to the same track in October to win again under a penalty — meaning it carried extra weight as punishment for already winning, which makes the victory more impressive, not less. Jockey Sean Bowen, who rides Ammes more than anyone else, has won 2 of their 6 races together, which works out at 1 in every 3. That is a strong partnership by any measure.

The ground matters with this horse. On normal conditions, Ammes has won 3 of 6 races — exactly half. Take it off that surface and the results drop away sharply. The same pattern holds for distance: over two miles or more, it has won 2 of 6 races, a rate of 1 in 3. Both of those numbers suggest a horse that knows what it likes. At the top end of the sport — Class 2, one of the higher levels in British racing — it has yet to get off the mark in 4 attempts. But that is exactly where Owen wants to take it.

After the October win at Chepstow, Owen spoke about sending Ammes to Wetherby, then potentially targeting a Listed race, and — with genuine optimism rather than idle talk — aiming for Cheltenham in March. Sean Bowen noted after the horse's hurdling debut at Sedgefield that the jumping needed to sharpen up, but recognised a natural winner underneath it all. Owen himself has described Ammes as "a great dual-purpose horse" with plenty of scope — meaning it can compete both on the flat and over hurdles, which opens up a wide range of options.

The last win came eight months ago, and the six most recent results include two finishes well down the field. But with a yard firing on all cylinders and a clear target on the horizon, Ammes looks like a horse saved for the right moment.