Dark Thirty

The recent form is what makes him genuinely interesting right now. In his last six races he has finished 1st, 2nd, 11th, 1st, 7th, and 10th — which sounds erratic until you understand the context. His trainer Sean Quinn revealed that a troubled start at Newmarket likely cost him on one occasion, and that when things go smoothly, there is still more to come. That assessment looks well-founded: Dark Thirty won at Chester just this week, confirming he is in the form of his life.

The ground is a significant part of his profile. On normal conditions he has won 7 of his 14 races — exactly half — which is a remarkable conversion rate. That is not luck; that is a horse built for specific circumstances, and his team clearly knows how to find them. He is also a specialist at the shorter distances, with 6 wins from 19 races at five to six-and-a-half furlongs, and he has a particular fondness for York, winning twice from just five visits there. As joint-trainer Sean Quinn put it after the York win, you cannot fluke form at tracks like that — it is real quality.

His partnership with jockey Sean Levey is worth noting too. The pair have worked together 23 times and won 5 of those races — roughly 1 in every 4-and-a-half rides — and Levey's comment after Newmarket that Dark Thirty was always going to be a nicer horse this year "mentally more than anything" hints at a horse that has matured into himself. The John and Sean Quinn yard at Norton has sent out 44 winners this season alone, so Dark Thirty is operating within a confident, in-form operation. Having raced just yesterday and already boasting a win this week, he shows no signs of slowing down.