Harb

The place to start is Sandown Park, where Harb has won 2 of his 5 races. That is a 40% win rate at one track, which is extraordinary. Most horses at this level are happy to find a win anywhere they can. Harb turns up at Sandown and becomes a different proposition entirely. His trainer Tristan Davidson, who runs a busy yard out of Irthington in Cumbria and has sent out 21 winners this season, has spoken warmly about one of those Sandown wins with the kind of candour that makes you like both the man and the horse. The victory, he admitted, was not entirely the plan — the idea had been to get Harb a run and then aim him at a race he had won the previous year. But the horse had other ideas. Earlier that week he had dumped his regular exercise rider and gone galloping around the field on his own terms, which Davidson took as a sign he was sharp enough. He told the owner not to write off Harb's chances that morning, and the horse duly proved him right.

The owner's recollection of the same race is equally good. He walked away at one point, convinced Harb was going nowhere fast after getting repeatedly blocked in. Then the horse found a gap and did it well anyway. A previous jockey, Tom Queally, had suggested trying Harb over a mile — a distance the owner was convinced would never suit him — and while the owner's instinct turned out to be right, he at least gave the horse the chance. That kind of relationship, where everyone involved is willing to listen and adapt, often explains why a horse keeps finding ways to win.

Harb also has a clear preference for normal ground conditions, where he has won 3 of his 9 races — 1 in every 3 — a noticeably better record than on anything softer or faster. His last win came at Carlisle eight weeks ago, and he raced just yesterday, so he is firmly in the middle of a campaign right now. Shane Kelly rides him most often, with 3 wins from 26 races together, and the pair have clearly built up an understanding over time. This is a horse that rewards patience and people who know him well.