Annexation

The highlight of his career so far came at Nottingham on 2 October 2025, when he landed one of the top races in Britain at Class 2 level — a genuine step up from his usual surroundings. Trainer Tony Carroll was candid afterwards: a confidence-boosting win at Bath a few days earlier had set this up perfectly, and Annexation arrived at Nottingham without a penalty to worry about. It was a well-timed raid, and it paid off handsomely. Carroll's yard has been in excellent form this season — 136 winners and counting — so he knows how to place a horse to maximum effect.

The distance matters with this one. At a mile and one furlong to a mile and two furlongs, Annexation has won 3 of his 13 races — that's 23%, or nearly 1 in every 4 — which is more than double his overall rate. His jockey at Dundalk back in December 2021, Chris Hayes, summed it up neatly after that first career win: "I think this is his ideal trip and he could win another one up here." He was right, as it turned out.

Jack Doughty rides him most often these days — 11 races together, one win between them — though Carroll noted that Doughty only got the Nottingham ride because the original winning jockey couldn't make the weight. No matter: Doughty delivered on the day when it counted most.

He hasn't won in his last six races, and his most recent run ended in seventh. Nine months have now passed since that Nottingham success. But Annexation raced just yesterday and is still active at ten, which speaks to his durability. At his best distance, in the right race, he's shown he can still land something meaningful.