Curran

The horse arrived at Rod Millman's Kentisbeare yard in Devon during the winter after being picked up from the Horses in Training sale at a bargain price. Millman saw something worth backing in what had been a successful record under previous trainer Charlie Johnston, and that early assessment looks sound. Curran won at Newcastle on his debut for the new yard in September 2023, and has since added five more victories. His last win came at Salisbury on 21 July — two months ago — which suggests he remains competitive at the right level.

He shows a clear preference for fast, dry ground. On those surfaces he wins roughly 1 in every 3 or 4 races (2 wins from 7), a noticeably better rate than his overall record. This is the kind of detail that matters when timing a run. Joe Fanning has been his most frequent rider, piloting him in 12 races with 2 wins, a 17% win rate that reflects the horse's general consistency rather than any special magic between them.

Recent form has been patchy — an eighth, a sixth, and a 14th in his last three outings — though he did finish second and fifth in his previous two. This is the pattern of a horse who shows up for the right race at the right time but lacks the ruthless consistency of a rising star. Millman's yard has had a strong season with 42 winners, suggesting the team around Curran knows how to win races. Whether he picks up any more nice prizes this season, as his trainer hopes, may depend largely on the ground and the company he finds.