Blake

What makes Blake interesting is that he has a distance where he genuinely excels. Over 1 mile 1 furlong to 1 mile 2 furlongs, he wins two races from five attempts, a 40 per cent win rate that stands out sharply against his overall 21 per cent record. He found his first career win at Sandown Park in May 2024, but the breakthrough that matters came at Down Royal, where he seems to have found his groove. The problem is stepping up to the top tier: he has never won in Class 2 races, losing all four attempts at that level. It suggests Blake's best efforts come in steadier company, where his natural finishing speed is enough to get the job done.

Noel Meade's yard at Castletown, Co Meath, trains Blake and has fired in forty-two winners this season, so there is no shortage of nous in the stable. Regular rider Donagh Meyler has managed just one win from five races together, a record that mirrors Blake's own inconsistency. That kind of near-miss form—places piling up, wins drying up—often signals a horse caught between levels, or one whose confidence has taken a small knock. At five years old, Blake still has time to rediscover what made him successful, but he needs to find that winning formula again soon.