Berry Clever

The real story lies in Berry Clever's preferences. On wet or muddy ground, the horse transforms into something notably sharper, winning 3 of its last 9 races on those conditions—a 33% win rate that stands out against the career average. Similarly, over distances between seven furlongs and a mile, Berry Clever has won 3 of 17 races; put the horse on slow ground at that trip and it clearly feels more at home. Chris Dwyer's Newmarket yard has found Kempton Park to be a particularly happy hunting ground, with the horse winning 3 of its 10 races there. That kind of course expertise is valuable for trainers looking to time a run.

The partnership with jockey Silvestre De Sousa has been productive too. De Sousa has steered Berry Clever to two wins from nine races together, a 22% win rate that suggests real understanding between rider and horse. The most recent victory came three months ago at Great Yarmouth, but since then the horse has finished fourth in its last six races—a patchy run that suggests the timing needs to be right. Berry Clever competes mostly at Class 5 level, the lower tier of British racing, where it has won twice from 16 races. With a race run as recently as yesterday, the horse remains actively campaigned and available for the races that suit it best.