Brulure Noire

The most revealing number in the file is the record on wet, muddy ground: 2 wins from just 4 races, a 50% win rate. That is an extraordinary figure. In racing terms, a horse that wins half its races in any conditions is exceptional — at this level, finding one that goes that well in the mud is the kind of thing trainers and jockeys genuinely get excited about. When the weather turns nasty and the ground gets heavy, Brulure Noire transforms into a completely different proposition.

There is also a course to watch for. At Ffos Las, the Welsh track tucked away near Llanelli, this horse has won 2 races from just 4 visits. That kind of record at a specific track is not coincidence — some horses simply suit a particular layout of bends and gradients, and Ffos Las clearly suits this one. Trainer Richard J Bandey, based in Tadley in Hampshire, has had a productive season with 14 winners sent out from the yard, so Brulure Noire is operating within a yard in decent nick.

The regular partnership with jockey Harry Bannister is worth noting too. Together they have ridden 9 races and won 2 of them — roughly 1 in every 4 — which is a solid relationship. The last win came at Chepstow in April 2024, now 24 months ago, and the horse is returning from a break of just over three months. That absence means it will need to be freshened up and ready to go, but horses returning from a break are not automatically at a disadvantage — some trainers deliberately give their horses time off and send them back in peak condition. Whether Brulure Noire can recapture that Chepstow form depends, as so often with this horse, on whether the heavens open first.