Best Rate

Those wins, when they have come, have arrived in a rush. Best Rate won 2 of its last 6 races, with recent form reading 1-1-4-2-3-4 — two wins bookending a run of solid placed efforts. The most recent of those victories came at Pontefract just this week, which tells you everything about where this horse's head is at right now. The first career win came at Wolverhampton back in December 2024, and the progression since then has been gradual but real.

One pattern stands out clearly: Best Rate genuinely thrives on fast, dry ground. In 4 races on those conditions, it has won twice — a 50% win rate that is simply extraordinary compared to the rest of its record. For context, across its whole career it wins roughly 1 in every 7 races, but on dry ground that becomes 1 in every 2. If the ground is quick, Best Rate is a completely different proposition. Similarly, its best distance appears to be between a mile and one furlong and a mile and two furlongs, where it has won 2 of 8 races — 1 in every 4, well above its overall average.

The one curious wrinkle in the record is that Best Rate has never won at Class 4 level, despite running there 9 times. Its wins have come elsewhere on the card. That is not necessarily a problem — it may simply reflect where the horse has been most competitive on a given day — but it is worth noting that stepping up in class has not appeared to faze it.

Trained by Richard Hannon at his Wiltshire yard, Best Rate is part of an operation that has sent out 118 winners this season alone — one of the most productive in Britain. Regular rider Sean Levey has partnered the horse 6 times, winning once together. With the horse in form, racing recently, and fast ground still possible as the season continues, Best Rate looks like one to keep onside.