Badri

The proof is at Pontefract, where Badri is genuinely special. In just five races there, it has won three times—a 60 percent win rate at a single track is the sort of dominance that makes a horse worth following. Even more telling is its love of fast, dry ground: win just 4 of every 12 races on those conditions, and you're operating at a 33 percent win rate, triple the horse's overall average. That preference has shaped Badri's best moments. At Epsom in June 2023, running on firm turf over five furlongs, it romped home convincingly—a race that surprised even Herrington, who had written Badri off as an all-weather specialist.

But the last six races have brought nothing but places. Second at Newcastle most recently, third at Pontefract three months ago when conditions were not ideal, a string of near-misses that hints at why Badri remains a Class 2 specialist with just 2 wins from 29 attempts at that level. The horse has been active since July 2022 and raced hard enough to earn places in 29 of its 73 outings—it is a genuine trying sort, the kind that turns up and does its best. At nine years old, Badri is well into its career, and while it will not be winning major events, it has carved out a clear niche: a Pontefract regular that lights up when the ground is fast and the race is five furlongs. That specificity is its strength.