Glory Hights

The one moment of glory came at Carlisle on 19 November 2024, which remains the only win of a career now stretching across more than two years at the races. Carlisle in November is not the glamour end of the sport — it is cold, often wet, and the fields are modest — but a win is a win, and Glory Hights earned it. The problem is that it has not been back to the winner's enclosure since, and that was 17 months ago. Six races without a win since then, with the most recent run coming just yesterday, suggest the Carlisle success might have been a peak rather than a turning point.

The bulk of Glory Hights' career has been spent in Class 5 races, which are the entry-level end of the sport — the kind of races where every horse on the track is looking for a confidence boost. From 17 races at that level, there has been 1 win, a rate of around 6%, or roughly 1 in every 17. Even in the most accessible company, wins have been hard to find.

Regular partner Danny McMenamin has ridden Glory Hights 13 times without getting the horse back into the winner's circle — 0 wins from 13 is a tough partnership record, though it says as much about the horse's level as anything else. Trainer Chris Grant, based in Billingham in Cleveland, has sent out 4 winners this season, so the yard is not without form. Glory Hights simply hasn't been among them. Recent results of sixth, fourth, second, fifth, and ninth suggest a horse that occasionally threatens without delivering — the second-place finish is tantalising, the ninth less so. At ten years old and still racing, Glory Hights is nothing if not durable. The question is whether there is one more win somewhere in there.