Grant Wood

Trainer Paul Midgley, based in Westow in North Yorkshire, has put together a strong season with 39 winners, and Grant Wood has been part of that effort. The horse clearly prefers normal ground conditions—he has won 4 of 12 races (33%) on standard going—and seems to struggle when the surface changes character. Midgley has spoken about a setback after a run at Haydock in May that set the horse back, but he reports Grant Wood is galloping well again and moving positively through the summer. The trainer rates him as honest and genuine, qualities that matter more than raw brilliance at this level.

David Nolan, the jockey who rides him most often, has a particularly strong record aboard: 4 wins from 19 races together (21%), notably better than Grant Wood's overall win rate. That kind of partnership can be meaningful—some horses and riders simply click. Right now the horse is in a form slump, with no wins in his last six races, but he was last out just a day ago. At Class 4 level, where he typically competes, he has won 2 of 10 (20%), so he is capable of mixing it in that grade. The question for his the yard is whether that spell at Haydock has fully cleared, and whether a return to Newcastle might be the spark he needs.