Arenas Del Tiempo

At eight years old, Arenas Del Tiempo has been around long enough to know what a racecourse looks like, and the record shows it: 1 win and 13 places from 42 races, a win rate of just 2%, or roughly one win every 42 attempts. That is a tough read. But there are horses who collect places for a living, and this is one of them — competitive enough to finish in the frame thirteen times, just not quite able to get to the front when it matters most. Until Chelmsford, that is.

The longest distances suit this horse best. Over 1 mile 6 furlongs to 2 miles, Arenas Del Tiempo has won 1 from 14 races — that is 7%, which is a far better picture than the overall record suggests. In other words, step this horse up in trip and it becomes a different proposition. The class of race has typically been Class 6, the lowest tier of British racing, where Arenas Del Tiempo has managed 1 win from 17 attempts at that level. It is not a horse competing for big prizes — but at this level, every win means something.

Jim and Suzi Best train the horse from their yard in Lewes, East Sussex, and they have had a productive season with 14 winners sent out so far. The regular partner in the saddle has been Luke Morris, who has ridden the horse seven times without a win between them. Funnily enough, that Chelmsford breakthrough came without changing too much else — the distance was right, the track was right, and on the day everything clicked.

Recent form reads 6-3-7-6-6-1, and that sole win sits at the end of the sequence like a punchline after a long joke. Arenas Del Tiempo last raced 27 days ago and is still active, so there may well be more chapters to come. Whether another win arrives soon is the question — but then again, followers of this horse have always known it was going to make them wait.