He's Our Cracker

The overall record reads modestly — 1 win and 2 places from 12 races, which works out at roughly 1 win in every 12 attempts. But context matters here. Candlish had pointed out before that win that he was unlucky not to score at Wolverhampton on his previous start, where trouble in running cost him when he finished third. A horse that had been knocking on the door, in other words, not one simply making up the numbers. His best distance range appears to be a mile and three furlongs to a mile and four furlongs, where he has won 1 of his 5 races — a 20% win rate that makes him a genuinely different proposition at that trip compared to his overall figures.

The yard itself is in fine form. Candlish, based in Basford, Staffordshire, has sent out 64 winners this season, so this is not a small operation running on hope. When a trainer with that kind of output singles out a horse as one to follow, it tends to be worth paying attention. He's Our Cracker has raced mostly at Class 6 level — the lower end of the competitive ladder — and has yet to win at that grade in three attempts, which is a slightly curious footnote given that his one career win came elsewhere. He raced just one day ago, so he is right in the middle of an active campaign.

The recent form figures — 4-8-6-12-5-1 — tell the story of a horse who has drifted back after his peak, with that solitary win four months ago now sitting in contrast to some moderate efforts since. Whether he can rediscover that Chelmsford form is the question his followers will be hoping to answer soon.