Game Colours

The key to Game Colours is the ground. On wet, muddy conditions, the record reads 2 wins from 4 races — that is a 50% win rate, which is exceptional at any level. Racing horses find it hard enough to win once in every five attempts on average, so winning half the time in a specific set of conditions is the kind of stat that makes a trainer sit up and plan around the weather forecast. Ben Clarke, based at Mosterton in Dorset, clearly knows this, and his yard has been in fine form this season with 13 winners already sent out.

Clarke has spoken about running Game Colours at Kelso in a £100,000 mares' final in the coming weeks, and it is easy to see why he is keen. The horse began its winning account at Lingfield Park in February 2025, and has progressed steadily since. Most of its races have come at Class 4 level — a solid mid-tier of competition in Britain — where it has won 2 from 7, roughly 1 in every 3.5 races at that grade. That is a respectable record, and if the Kelso target comes off, it would represent a significant step up to a much bigger occasion.

Clarke has noted that Game Colours carries plenty of natural speed and is well placed off its current rating. If the ground comes up soft at Kelso, this is a horse that could be very dangerous indeed. A £100,000 final is a long way from a midweek race on a muddy track, but recent form, conditions that suit, and a trainer in confident mood make Game Colours one to watch over the next few weeks.