Dunkerque

What Dunkerque has done since is remarkable. From 16 races he has won 5 and placed in 7 more — a win rate of 31%, or roughly 1 in every 3 races, which is a strong return at any level. But the really striking number is what has happened lately: four wins in a row, including a victory at Newton Abbot just this week. Before that run he finished second, so five of his last six races have produced a win or a place. That is not a horse in decent form — that is a horse on fire.

The key to understanding him is the ground. On normal conditions he has won 5 of his 8 races — that is 62%, or nearly two out of every three. Take him off that surface and the results thin out considerably. Candlish knows exactly what she has got, and the recent results suggest she has been placing him perfectly.

His regular partner in the saddle is Sean Quinlan, and their combination works: 2 wins from 5 races together, a 40% win rate. After one recent victory at Southwell, Quinlan was refreshingly honest about the experience — admitting he had been uncertain where he was on the track for much of the race, that he suspected Dunkerque needed riding patiently, and that the horse actually jumped better the longer the race went on. That last detail is worth filing away. A horse that improves as a race unfolds, rather than fading, tends to keep winning.

Dunkerque has already won his first race since arriving at Candlish's yard in Ireland back in July 2025 — and four wins later, he is clearly just getting started. With the yard in the form of its life and the horse on a streak, there is every reason to think the best of Dunkerque is still ahead.