Counsel

Across 36 races in total, the eight-year-old has built a career record of 6 wins and 14 places — wins in roughly 1 in every 6 races overall (17%), which is a solid return for the level it competes at. Michael Appleby trains Counsel out of Oakham in Rutland, and his yard is clearly in fine form, having sent out 71 winners already this season. When Luke Morris is in the saddle, the numbers get even more interesting: 3 wins from 8 races together, meaning Morris and Counsel click at a rate of roughly 1 in every 2.5 races — a pairing worth watching.

Counsel is at its best over short, sharp distances of five to six and a half furlongs, winning 4 of its 16 races at those trips (25%), and it much prefers normal ground underfoot. On standard conditions it has won 6 of 20 races, a 30% win rate that genuinely stands out. Put it on soft or muddy ground and it is a different story — the figures fall away sharply.

The last win came at Wolverhampton four months ago, in March 2026, and recent form has been patchy — the last six results read 11-9-7-6-1-7, that solitary first place sandwiched between some modest efforts. Raced just yesterday, Counsel is clearly still in active training and being kept busy. The bulk of its races have come at Class 4 level, where the win rate of just 1 from 19 (5%) is modest — which suggests the horse performs best when conditions align perfectly rather than grinding out wins week to week. When Lingfield comes around, though, on a dry day over a short trip, this is a horse that has earned its reputation.