Bantz

The horse performs noticeably better when the turf is firm and fast — the conditions he prefers — and at distances between seven furlongs and a mile, where he has won 2 of 19 races (11%). More tellingly, when competing in Class 6 events (lower-tier races where the opposition is more modest), Bantz picks up winners at a clip of roughly 1 in 7 races (15%), which is nearly three times his career rate. He showed this knack early in 2025 at Newcastle, where he began his career on the all-weather and scored twice before being moved to turf by his trainer Alan Brown, based at Yedingham in North Yorkshire. Brown noted at the time that Bantz thrives on fast ground and suggested he would be campaigned on grass once those conditions arrived.

Kaiya Fraser, his most regular partner, has ridden Bantz 11 times and won twice — a partnership win rate of 18%, meaningfully better than the horse's overall record. That gap suggests Fraser understands what this horse needs. The stable itself is ticking over (10 winners sent out this season), so there is competence in the yard. The question for Bantz now is whether he can rediscover his touch in a Class 6 race on firm turf, a recipe that worked twice before but has proved elusive for the past year and a half.