City Of Delight

The standout moment of his career came at Epsom Downs on 22 April 2025, where he won a Class 2 race — one of the better prizes in British racing. Menuisier admitted afterwards that he was not even sure City Of Delight handled the famous camber and undulations of the track until the horse hit the rising ground in the final 50 metres. He looked like he was about to be swamped, then he flew. The trainer called it doing things the hard way, but said the horse had all the traits of a good one — easy to train, consistent, and with a big heart. Jockey Kieran Shoemark echoed that after a Goodwood run, singling out his will to win as genuinely admirable.

What makes him particularly interesting is how he performs on different types of ground. On normal conditions he has won 3 from 6 races — exactly half the time. On dry, fast ground that figure jumps to 2 wins from just 3 attempts, which is a two-in-three record and remarkable. Menuisier says he handles any ground, but the numbers suggest he loves it quick.

His most recent run, however, was a flat disappointment. At Haydock, nothing went right — he failed to settle into the pace, burned his energy chasing the field through the back straight, and finished a distant seventh. Menuisier was candid about it: they are going back to basics, dropping back to a trip he has won over before. He had been eyeing the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood but the horse did not get a run. Regular partner Kyle Strydom has ridden him six times for one win, a rate of roughly 1 in 6, so there is clearly more to unlock there.

He has not won in his last six races, but given that his last victory was a Class 2 at Epsom, he is not exactly a horse who has fallen away — he simply had one bad day and is being reset by a trainer who clearly knows him well and believes the best is still to come.