Comic Strip

The telling statistic is what Comic Strip does best. On normal ground conditions, it wins roughly 1 in every 3 or 4 races (2 wins from 7 attempts, 29%), which is respectable. But strip out those normal-ground races and the picture darkens: just zero wins from four races on anything else. That narrowness of preference is not unusual for a young horse, but it does mean Comic Strip needs conditions to cooperate and opposition to be within its range. At Class 4 level—the lower reaches of British racing—the horse is genuinely good: 2 wins from 3 races, a 67% win rate. The problem is that the last six outings have seen finishes of tenth, fifth, fifth, seventh, third, and second, suggesting Comic Strip may now be running regularly at a level where it struggles to win.

Trained by the Crisford yard at Newmarket, which has sent out 78 winners already this season, Comic Strip is in capable hands. The yard clearly has the firepower to place horses right, but even talented trainers cannot force a horse to win races it is not equipped for. Comic Strip raced just yesterday, so the yard are keeping it active. Whether this horse finds its way back to the winner's circle will depend on whether it gets another shot at the conditions and class level where it has already proved itself capable.