Criminal Shore

His first win came at Ripon in April 2025, and he backed that up with a second at Newcastle just last week, on 2 June 2026. Back-to-back wins are not easy to come by at any level, and doing it in the space of a few weeks suggests Criminal Shore is in the form of his life. When the distance stretches out to a mile and one or a mile and two furlongs, he really comes alive — two wins from 12 races at those trips gives him a 17% win rate, roughly 1 in every 6 races, which is meaningfully better than his overall record and points clearly to where his trainer should be aiming him.

That trainer is David O'Meara, one of the most productive yards in the north of England. Based at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire, the operation has sent out 101 winners already this season — a figure that reflects genuine depth and quality throughout the string. Horses from this yard are well-managed and usually placed to win when they are in form, so Criminal Shore being on a two-race winning streak is no accident.

One slight puzzle in his record is that his most regular jockey, Daniel Tudhope, has yet to get him into the winner's enclosure in five attempts together. Tudhope is a highly regarded rider, so that blank record is more likely down to timing and circumstance than any real mismatch. It is also worth noting that Criminal Shore has never won in Class 4 races, going 0 from 8 at that level — both of his victories have come elsewhere. If the team pitch him into slightly calmer waters, the recent form says he is capable of adding to his tally quickly.