Encore

The horse last raced just a day ago, so we're looking at a runner in regular work. Over those four most recent outings, Encore finished second, then won, then finished second again, and most recently came fifth. That win came at Kempton Park on 14 September, five weeks ago now, and it marked Encore's first career victory. William Haggas, who trains Encore at his Newmarket yard in Suffolk, is sending winners out at a serious clip — 170 winners this season already — so the horse is in an operation that knows how to get horses to the track ready to win. The fact that Encore broke through at Kempton and has shown enough top-three finishes to suggest it belongs at that level is the story here: this is a horse that has found the racecourse, found a win, and is being kept campaigned regularly by a top trainer. Whether Encore will string together more victories remains to be seen, but the recent form shows a horse that's competitive and still very much in work.