Buccabay

Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton out of her stable in Blewbury, Oxfordshire, Buccabay is part of a yard that has fired out 41 winners already this season — a serious operation by any measure. Johnson Houghton clearly knows how to place a horse to its best advantage, and Buccabay has been a willing contributor to that tally. The partnership with jockey Charles Bishop is the one that clicks most reliably: together they have won 3 from 15 races, a win rate of 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5 times they line up together. That is notably better than Buccabay's overall record of 1 in every 6 or 7 races, which tells you something about how well Bishop reads this particular horse.

The career started with a notable moment — a first win at Ascot in July 2022. Ascot is one of British racing's most prestigious tracks, so opening your account there rather than at a smaller, easier venue is a decent calling card. Most of Buccabay's racing since has come at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the British racing ladder — competitive enough to be genuine sport, without quite reaching the very top. At that level, the record is just 1 win from 16 races, a 6% win rate, which sounds modest but reflects how tough and competitive those races tend to be when everyone is running horses of similar ability.

The most recent win came at Kempton Park in December 2025 — four months ago — and the current form figures of 7-3-2-5-1-4 (reading from most recent backwards) tell a readable story: a couple of middle-of-the-pack efforts bookending a second and a third, with that win sitting in the middle of the sequence. Buccabay raced just nine days ago, so this is a horse very much in active campaign. Whether another win is coming soon is the question, but the recent placed efforts suggest it remains competitive and the team will be looking for the right opportunity.