Grozni

The real story lies in who rides him and where he runs best. Jockey Philip Byrnes has figured Grozni out far better than anyone else — he wins roughly one race in every three rides on this horse, a win rate that jumps out when you look at the overall record. That kind of partnership suggests Byrnes understands how to get the best from him, and the trainer Sandy Thomson, based at Lambden in the Scottish Borders, clearly trusts him. Thomson's yard has sent out 17 winners this season, and Grozni remains a reliable part of that engine.

The horse's last win came at Kelso in early December, now four months back, and his recent form has been patchy — a fourth-place finish marked his return from a two-month break, but he has not finished in the top three since. That said, there is a glaring strength in the record that deserves highlighting: Grozni absolutely loves wet or muddy ground, winning two of his five races on those conditions, a 40% win rate that towers above his overall numbers. It is the kind of preference that gives trainers a clear target — wet-ground meetings become days when Grozni is worth backing. Class 2 racing, though, remains a ceiling he has not cracked; he has been unable to win at that level across seven attempts, suggesting he operates best a step or two below the very top.