Finishing 15th, 6th, 7th, and 10th across his four races so far, Clipper hasn't threatened the winners' enclosure, and Baker is honest about why: the horse is raw, still growing into himself, and simply not ready to compete at his best. Rather than keep throwing him into races and chipping away at his confidence, the trainer has done something quietly sensible — he's sent Clipper out to a field on the farm to just be a horse for a while. It sounds almost old-fashioned, but sometimes the kindest thing you can do with a young horse that's struggling mentally is to take the pressure off completely.
What Baker said about him carries a certain quiet conviction. He describes Clipper as a horse he'd genuinely want to go to war with next year — not a horse he's writing off, but one he's banking on. The trainer runs a yard in Chiddingfold, Surrey, that has sent out 16 winners this season, so Baker knows what a horse with potential looks like, and he's not wasting words on ones that don't have it. The fact that Clipper has been assigned a rating of 60 after his early races means he'll be running in races where the weights are adjusted to give every horse a fair chance — which should suit a horse still finding his feet far better than what he's faced so far.
If Baker is right, the interesting chapter of Clipper's story hasn't started yet. He's one to file away, check back on next spring, and watch with fresh eyes.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 14 Apr | 0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 29 Jul | 0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 19 Sep | 0% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 2 Oct | 0% |