Great Blasket

The horse really comes alive on normal ground. On quick, dry tracks he simply flies — winning 6 of his 13 races on such surfaces, a figure that jumps out at nearly half of all his runs. Put him on soft or muddy ground and his record dips sharply, which tells you that firm footing suits his action. He also seems to prefer distances between seven furlongs and a mile, winning one of three races at that range, though the sample is small enough that it is worth watching for patterns as he racks up more races.

Great Blasket has become something of a Nottingham specialist. The course clearly agrees with him — he has won 2 of his 4 races there, which is a much sharper record than his overall figures suggest. His last victory came at that same track just seven weeks ago on 30 July, so the connection is recent and real. James Owen's Newmarket yard, which has sent out 205 winners this season, has clearly trained him well, and Owen will know exactly when and where to run this horse for the best chance of another win. At the level he is competing — mostly Class 4 races — Great Blasket is a familiar face in the placings, and on the right ground at a track that suits him, he remains a horse worth watching.