Bunker Bay

That Market Rasen win on 28 May 2026 is his second career success, following a first win at Great Yarmouth back in July 2023. Between those two moments sits a long stretch of places — 13 in total — which tells its own story: Bunker Bay is consistently competitive, he just finds winners hard to come by. Running second or third is practically his signature. His recent form bears this out: his last six runs read 1-8-2-3-6-3, meaning that aside from one off-day (the run of 8) and his win, he has been in and around the podium for most of the season.

The longer the race, the more interested Bunker Bay seems to get. Over distances of two miles or more he has won 1 from 7 — that's 14% — which may not sound earth-shattering, but it comfortably outstrips his overall record and suggests stamina is genuinely his friend. Most of his racing has come at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter end of the sport, and he has won 1 from 18 at that level. That's a tough ratio, but it speaks to how competitive even the modest end of the game can be.

He is trained by Micky Hammond at Middleham in North Yorkshire, a yard that has sent out 25 winners already this season — so there is clearly ability to get horses to perform. Bunker Bay's regular jockey is Aiden Brookes, who has ridden him six times without a win together, though this week's victory at Market Rasen may yet change the shape of that partnership going forward.

At seven years old, Bunker Bay is no youngster, but horses at this level can keep going for years, and a win this recent suggests he is in decent nick. For casual observers, he is the kind of horse that rewards patience — quietly placing, quietly plugging away, and then, when the moment is right, quietly winning.