Buy Some Time

The most striking number in that record is what happens when Ben Smith is in the saddle. The pair have won 3 of their 5 races together — that's 60%, or three wins from every five rides — which is a remarkable partnership by any measure. At that level of consistency, you'd be forgiven for circling the races where Smith is booked as the ones to watch. Trainer R Mike Smith, based at Galston in East Ayrshire, has had a productive season with 25 winners sent out from the yard, so Buy Some Time is part of a genuinely busy and successful operation.

Perth has been the making of this horse. Two wins from four races at that course is a real course specialty — half of all its Perth visits have ended in victory, which is the kind of stat that makes seasoned racegoers take notice. Perth is a tight, flat track that suits certain horses down to the ground, and Buy Some Time appears to be one of them. Its first career win came there in July 2024, and the track clearly suits its style.

The one caveat is that Buy Some Time typically races at Class 4 level — one of the mid-tier grades — and has won just 1 of 6 races at that class, a rate of roughly 1 in 6. That suggests a horse that finds things tougher when the competition is structured rather than open. Its most recent win came at Punchestown in April 2025, which shows it can travel and perform on a big occasion when conditions are right.

The recent form reads 5-7-6-1-2-7 — patchy, with that brilliant win sandwiched between some modest efforts. More pressingly, Buy Some Time hasn't raced for 262 days, or roughly eight months. That's a long absence, and the first race back after such a break often serves as a fitness run rather than a genuine winning attempt. Whether the yard has it ready to go straight away is the key question on its return.