Concert Boy

Trained by Katie Scott at Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Concert Boy was acquired for around £7,000 last March and has since earned his keep handsomely. In his first year with the yard, he ran 27 times and picked up approximately £52,000 in prize-money, finishing inside the top 20 for the All-Weather Horse of the Year bonus scheme. That sort of return on a modest initial investment is the backbone of a professional racing operation, and it explains Scott's clear affection for the horse. He has become a workhorse, running as often as three times a month on the all-weather, the surface where he thrives.

Newcastle is his stronghold. He has won 5 of his 38 races there — a 13% win rate at the track, far better than his overall record — and scored most recently on the all-weather in December. On normal ground conditions across all tracks, he wins about 1 in every 9 races, compared to his baseline of 1 in 14. At Class 6 level, where he typically competes, he has won 4 of 45 races. These are not spectacular figures, but they are the numbers of a horse who knows his job and does it reliably enough to keep earning.

Recent form has been quieter. He has not won in his last six runs, finishing fourth, sixth, 12th, seventh, eighth, and 10th, and was last in action just a day ago. With jockey Sam James — his most frequent partner — he has yet to find the winning combination, going 0 from 11. But at this level of racing, one bad spell does not end a career. Scott has plans to keep him on the all-weather and busy, chasing bonus scheme money once more. For a horse of his calibre, that is exactly where he belongs.