High Degree

That one career victory came at Ffos Las, a compact track tucked away in South Wales, back in July 2025. It was the moment High Degree showed what it could do when things clicked — and at Class 5 level, where the competition is more modest, the horse has won 1 from 3, or roughly 1 in every 3 races at that grade. That is a decent return, suggesting this is a horse that is competitive when pitched at the right level.

What gives the whole picture a lift is who is doing the training. William Haggas is one of the most respected trainers in British racing, operating out of Newmarket — the sport's spiritual home in England — and his yard has sent out an extraordinary 176 winners already this season. When a trainer of that calibre is running up numbers like that, it means horses in his care are arriving at the track fit and ready. High Degree might not be a star of the operation, but being trained by Haggas is a bit like having a masterchef cook your Tuesday night dinner — the standard of care is simply very high.

Coming back after five months away is always a moment of uncertainty with any horse, and the recent form before the break was not sparkling. But with a trainer in that kind of form, a proven ability to win at this level, and a bit of freshness from the time off, High Degree is the sort of horse that could easily remind everyone what it looked like on that July afternoon at Ffos Las.