Emerald Army

All three of its wins have arrived at Class 6 level — the entry-level tier of British racing — where it has won 3 from 19 races, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 6. That's actually a decent return at that level, and it tells you this is a horse that knows its job and performs when the conditions suit. Its first win came at Southwell in October 2024, and its most recent at Catterick Bridge in July 2025, which is now ten months ago. The current six-race winless run — finishing 10th, 5th, 4th, 2nd, 2nd in the most recent five of those — tells an interesting story in itself: Emerald Army has been running into form, placing twice in its last two outings, without quite getting its head back in front.

It raced just yesterday, which means it's at the sharp end of a busy campaign. Trainer Ruth Carr, based at Stillington in North Yorkshire, has had a productive season with 63 winners sent out from her yard — a strong total that suggests a well-organised, active operation. Zak Wheatley is the regular pilot, partnering Emerald Army in 19 of its 27 races and riding 2 of its 3 wins — that kind of settled partnership matters more than people realise, as a jockey who knows a horse's quirks and tendencies can make a real difference on a tight finish.

The profile here is of a reliable, honest horse that operates at the bread-and-butter end of racing, places more often than not, and has genuine winning form at Catterick and Southwell. Those back-to-back runner-up finishes suggest it's rounding back into form. Whether it can convert one of those into a win — particularly at a track it likes — is the question worth watching.