Changeofmind

The horse got off the mark at Chester back in June 2022, which is a genuinely tricky track to win on — a tight, almost circular circuit where tactics matter enormously. That debut win there hinted at a horse with a bit of savvy. Fast forward to May this year and Changeofmind added another victory at Pontefract, a course with a famously stiff uphill finish that separates horses with stamina from those without. Winning there just seven weeks ago confirms this is a horse in decent nick right now.

The most striking number in the file is the record on wet or muddy ground: 2 wins from just 5 races, a 40% success rate. That is extraordinary by any measure. For context, even the best horses in training rarely win 4 in every 10 races they enter. When the ground comes up soft, Changeofmind is a completely different proposition — it transforms from a reliable plodder into something worth getting genuinely excited about.

Zak Wheatley has been in the saddle for 10 of the 23 career races, a real show of faith from trainer Declan Carroll, whose Malton yard has already sent out 24 winners this season. Carroll clearly knows this horse well, and the consistency of the partnership suggests they have a clear plan about when and where to run it. The win rate together — 1 from 10 — looks modest, but Wheatley has been there for the good days too.

The recent form reads 6-7-8-1-14-5, which is a rollercoaster. Three poor efforts followed by a win, then a disaster, then fifth last time out. It is the kind of form that demands patience from the yard — you have to wade through the inconsistency to catch Changeofmind on a day when everything clicks. At Class 4 level, the horse wins roughly 1 in 6, which is respectable without being dominant. Having raced just yesterday, the team are clearly keeping this one busy, and with the right ground underfoot, another winning day may not be far away.