Clean Getaway

What makes Clean Getaway interesting is not that he is an elite horse — he is not. He typically runs in Class 5, the lower tiers of racing, and has won five of his 29 races at that level, a 17% win rate. But he is reliable in his way, a horse that knows what he is doing. In the hands of his regular jockey Joe Williamson, they have combined for seven wins from 38 races together, an 18% win rate that slightly edges his overall record. Kirby's assessment is generous but honest: the horse is not a superstar, but he is good fun and he has given the yard some genuinely good days out. After taking time to find his feet early in his racing career, Clean Getaway eventually became a worthwhile proposition — the kind of horse that repays patience.

His recent form tells a different story, though. He has not won in his last six races, a sequence of fifth, fourth, third, fifth, third, and fourth placings that suggests he may need another break or a change of approach. Raced just a day ago, he remains active and in the mix, but it is clear that those winning days at Sedgefield — where he seems to belong — are not coming as easily as they once did. Whether Philip Kirby can find another couple of wins to add to his tally remains to be seen, but if there is anywhere Clean Getaway can do it, it will be back on that fast ground at Sedgefield.