Don Brocco

The most revealing number in Don Brocco's record is this: on wet or muddy ground, he wins 3 from 12 races — that is 25%, or 1 in every 4. Compare that to his overall rate of 1 in 10, and you start to understand what kind of horse he really is. When the rain comes down and the track gets soft, Don Brocco is a different animal. Many horses hate the mud and let you know about it. This one actively thrives.

His happy place is Carlisle, a course tucked up near the Scottish border where the ground can get heavy and conditions suit exactly his kind of gritty, grinding style. He has won there twice from 9 visits — most recently on 3 February 2025, just over 14 months ago — and that record of 2 wins from 9 at a single course is genuinely worth noticing. It means the team at Gary Rutherford's yard in Jedburgh know exactly where to point him when they want results. Rutherford's operation has sent out 6 winners already this season, so there is clearly a yard in decent form behind him.

The current run of 6 races without a win is worth acknowledging honestly. His regular rider Edward Austin has partnered him 6 times without getting him to the line first, and the most recent form figures — a fifth, a second, an eighth — suggest a horse who is competing without quite finding top gear. But he raced just yesterday, which means the team have not given up, and there is a second place in that recent run to suggest he is closer than the win column currently implies.

Don Brocco races at Class 5 level, which is the bread and butter of British racing — competitive, unglamorous, and hard to win. He has taken 2 from 18 races at that level. He is not a star. But on a wet day at Carlisle, with the right conditions underfoot, he has a habit of making everyone look twice.