Emperor Caradoc

His last win came at Thirsk on 2 May, four months ago, and since then he has gone through a rough patch, recording a tenth place, a fourth, two fourths, a sixth, and a fifth in his last six races. He raced just yesterday, so trainer Paul Midgley clearly still sees something to work with. The key to getting the best from him seems to be tactical simplicity. His trainer notes that Emperor Caradoc thrives when the field is small enough for him to dominate, rather than in the thick of heavily populated races — suggesting he is more of a bully than a brilliant athlete, but a useful bully nonetheless. He also appears to prefer six furlongs to five.

When paired with jockey David Nolan, Emperor Caradoc has won 4 of 14 races (29%), well above his career average, hinting that the partnership clicks. Both dry ground and wet ground suit him reasonably well, with three wins from ten races on fast ground and two wins from eight on wet or muddy ground. At Nottingham, he is a real specialist, winning 2 of his 4 races there — the kind of course form worth noting when the handicapper next sends him there.