Forest Blaze

What makes this interesting is that Forest Blaze is a horse still actively racing, having run just yesterday. His most recent form tells a familiar story for a veteran campaigner: he finished fifth last time out, but has accumulated three top-3 finishes in his last six races, including two consecutive second-place efforts. He is not a star, but he is reliable at his level. Trained by Mark Walford at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire — a yard that has sent out 35 winners this season — Forest Blaze typically competes in Class 5 races, where he has managed 1 win from 9 attempts.

The horse runs most often for jockey Jamie Hamilton, who has ridden him to 2 wins from 12 races together, a 17% win rate that edges ahead of the horse's overall average. That partnership may yet prove significant on return visits to Hexham, where Forest Blaze has already proved he belongs. At seven, he is past the flashy years, but he remains active and capable of finding the winner's enclosure again — particularly if the yard can get him back to the track where he has already shown he can win.