Golden Handshake

The pattern of Golden Handshake's racing reveals where its real strength lies. Over long-distance races of two miles or more, the horse has won two of three outings — a 67% win rate that is genuinely impressive. In shorter races, it struggles to find the same magic, which tells you this is a horse built for stamina, one that settles into a rhythm over the extended trip and finds something in the closing stages. The bulk of its racing has come at Class 5 level, which is where it belongs, though it has managed one win from three attempts in Class 2 or 3 company, suggesting there may be a slight ceiling on its ambitions.

William Durkan's yard at Sandyford has sent out fifteen winners this season, and Golden Handshake has been among the more reliable contributors. The horse's association with jockey Tom Marquand is less stellar — only one win from five rides together — but that may simply reflect the luck of the draw or the type of races Marquand has been asked to ride in. What matters is that the horse is winning races, winning them at the right distances, and doing so consistently enough that the yard will be confident saddling it for the harder tasks ahead.