Dashing Dick

The headline fact is Newmarket. Of Dashing Dick's four career wins, three have come at the same track — and that is not a coincidence. Across 20 races there, it has won 3 times, which works out at 15% of its Newmarket appearances. That might not sound jaw-dropping, but consider this: horses race at dozens of different venues across a career, and most never develop a clear preference for one. Dashing Dick has. Whether it is the wide, straight galloping track, the particular way the ground tends to ride there, or simply some deep equine comfort with the place, Newmarket brings out something in this horse that other venues do not.

Add in the ground conditions and the picture sharpens further. On slightly soft — wet but not waterlogged — turf, Dashing Dick has won 2 of just 4 attempts, a 50% record that is frankly extraordinary. Pair that with its preferred trip of five to six-and-a-half furlongs, short, sharp, speed-based races, and you have a horse with a very clear profile: fast ground is too quick for it, heavy ground is probably too testing, but catch it on a damp autumn or spring day over a sprint trip at Newmarket and you have a serious contender.

The partnership with jockey Kieran Shoemark underlines all of this. Together they have won 3 of their 9 races — that is 1 in every 3 rides, a remarkable ratio for a horse whose overall career win rate sits at roughly 1 in 11. Shoemark clearly understands how to ride this horse, and when the two are reunited in the right conditions, William Stone's yard at West Wickham will fancy their chances. Stone has been in good form this season with 10 winners already sent out.

Dashing Dick raced just yesterday, so there is no rush to find the next target. But that last win came at Newmarket in November 2025, and recent form of 8-8-7-1-5-3 shows a horse that is competitive without quite firing. The stars last aligned seven months ago. Given what we know about when and where this horse runs its best races, they could align again.