Annexation

That Nottingham win in October 2025 was genuinely significant. It came in a Class 2 race — one of the better races you'll find in Britain — and trainer Tony Carroll was clearly delighted, describing it as "a great prize and a good bit of placing." There was a late change in the saddle too: the jockey who had ridden him to win at Bath a few days earlier couldn't make the weight, so Jack Doughty stepped in and got the job done. It's a nice detail that speaks to a horse in form and a yard flexible enough to make it work.

The numbers point clearly to where Annexation is most dangerous. At distances between a mile and a furlong and a mile and two furlongs, he has won 3 of his 11 races — that's 27%, or roughly 1 in every 4. Compare that to his overall record and you can see it's a meaningful edge. Most of his races come at Class 5 level, the bread-and-butter end of the sport, where he has won just 1 from 14 — about 1 in 14. The Nottingham win at a higher level stands out as the exception that proves the rule: when conditions suit and the distance is right, he's capable of punching above his usual weight.

Carroll's yard has been in excellent form this season, sending out 136 winners — that kind of volume suggests a well-run operation with plenty of horses ticking along nicely. Jockey Jack Doughty has partnered Annexation 11 times for 1 win together, a 9% win rate, though as Nottingham showed, the chemistry can click when it matters. With Annexation raced as recently as yesterday, he's clearly still fit and active — and on his best days, at the right trip, there's still a race to be won in him.