Highfield Viking

His partnership with jockey Jason Hart is the most successful formula the yard has found for him. In 23 races together, Hart has ridden him to all 4 of his wins — a win rate of 17%, or nearly 1 in every 6 rides. That is a meaningful number, and it suggests the pair have developed a real understanding. Trainer John Quinn noted during a stable visit that Highfield Viking can get lazy in the middle of a race and has been raced in a visor to sharpen him up, so having a jockey who knows his quirks clearly helps.

He is also a horse with a bloodline worth knowing. He is a half-brother to Highfield Princess, a sprinter who became genuinely elite, and while Viking has found his ceiling considerably lower than hers, Quinn has spoken about him continuing to improve as he matures — the family tends to get better with age. His sire Aclaim also tends to produce horses who perform better on softer, wetter ground, which is a useful thing to know when tracking his chances through the season.

His recent form reads 10-5-6-3-7-5 — no wins in his last six races, with the most recent coming a day ago, and his last victory now nine months back at Chepstow in August 2025. The yard has been in excellent form this season with 44 winners sent out, so the support structure around him is strong. He is not a horse chasing glory at the top level, but at the right class, on the right ground, with Hart in the saddle, Highfield Viking has shown enough times that he knows how to win.