Ebony Maw

What's striking is how much Ebony Maw thrives on specific ground conditions. On normal ground he's won three of fourteen races—a respectable 21%—but on very wet and muddy ground his record edges even higher at two wins from eight races (25%). This tells you the horse has a preference, and a smart trainer like Ewan Whillans at Hawick will have noted it. The Scottish Border yard has been productive this season with 28 winners, so Whillans clearly knows how to get horses competing.

The less encouraging part of Ebony Maw's record is his struggle at higher levels. In Class 5 races—the tougher end of the spectrum—he has managed no wins from eighteen attempts. That puts a ceiling on his ambitions and explains why he keeps returning to his happy hunting ground at Ayr, where the races are less demanding and he can compete on level terms. His jockey Rowan Scott has ridden him twelve times, winning just once, suggesting their partnership isn't the magic ingredient. Yet Ebony Maw still turned up six days ago for another race, and before that kept returning, which is the mark of a genuinely hardy, game horse—the type that loves racing for its own sake.