Herakles

His trainer Paul Midgley, whose yard in Westow, North Yorkshire, has sent out 39 winners already this season, is quite clear-eyed about what Herakles is and what he needs. "He wasn't a lot of money," Midgley has said, "but he's certainly paid his way." That's the language of a trainer who genuinely appreciates a grafter. The first career win came at Newcastle in December 2022 on a stiff five-furlong straight that demands horses keep galloping all the way to the line — no coasting, no freewheeling. That track suits a well-balanced, honest type perfectly, and Herakles fits the bill.

Normal conditions are where he really clicks. On standard ground he has won 2 of 7 races — nearly 1 in 3, which is a dramatically better return than his overall average. That figure is worth underlining: when the ground is right, he becomes a different proposition. Midgley also mentions a fondness for Ripon, a track with enough undulation to unsettle some horses but one that actually plays to Herakles' balance and stride. He has raced most often at Class 5 level — the bread and butter of British racing — picking up 3 wins from 25 outings there.

His most regular partner in the saddle is Paul Mulrennan, who has ridden him 14 times and won twice — a 14% win rate, or roughly 1 in 7 — a solid return at this level. The partnership clearly has an understanding, even if neither is covering themselves in glory on the big days.

What makes Herakles genuinely interesting right now is that he won at Nottingham just three weeks ago and raced again only yesterday. He's fit, in form, and doing his job. His recent six-race sequence of 4-1-2-4-4-4 shows a horse who has suddenly rediscovered something — a second and a win in the space of a few runs after a quieter spell. At six, with no signs of slowing down, Herakles is simply a professional. He turns up, he competes, and occasionally he wins. There are worse things to be.