Faustus

The most interesting number in the file is Newbury. Two wins from just 4 races at that track means Faustus has converted half its visits into victories, which is a remarkable return for a horse that otherwise wins around 1 in 9 across its whole career. Something about that course — the long, sweeping straights, the way the ground tends to ride — clearly agrees with this horse in a way that most others do not. The last of those Newbury wins came in July 2025, so it is recent enough to matter. For anyone keeping an eye on entries, Newbury on the racecard is worth a second look.

The current form makes less comfortable reading. Seven finishes out of the placings across the last six races, with a solitary third as the only bright spot in that run, suggests Faustus is going through a lean spell. It raced just one day ago, so it is busy and active, but the results have not been there. At Class 3 level — one step down from the very top races in Britain but still competitive — the horse has won just 1 from 15, which is roughly 1 in every 15 attempts at that grade. That is a tough ask, and the record reflects it.

When Jack Mitchell is in the saddle, things tend to go better. The pair have won 2 from 7 races together, which works out to winning roughly 2 in every 7 rides — nearly three times the horse's overall career rate. That is the kind of statistic that is easy to overlook and hard to ignore. The yard at Liphook, run by Rachel Cook and John Bridger, has sent out 7 winners already this season, so the operation is in form even if Faustus itself is waiting for things to click back into place. A return trip to Newbury with Mitchell aboard would make a lot of people sit up and take notice.