Himself

Kirby's yard has been in fine fettle this season, sending out 36 winners, and Himself has been doing his bit. The partnership with jockey Aiden Brookes looks particularly important — when those two have linked up, they have won 3 of their 8 races together, a win rate of 38%, which is exceptional. Nearly two in every five races they've entered, they've come home first. That's not a coincidence; that's a combination that works.

Ask where Himself is most dangerous and the answer is Southwell. He has won 2 of his 3 races there, and his last victory came at that track on 7 February 2026. Southwell has a famously artificial, all-weather surface that some horses simply take to — and Himself clearly has. Two wins from three visits is about as reliable as it gets.

The conditions matter too. On normal ground, he has won 4 of 9 races — 44%, nearly every other time out. Stretch the trip to between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, and he has won 4 of 12 races at those distances, confirming he is very much a stayer who wants a genuine test of stamina rather than a sprint. Most of his races have come at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, where he has won 4 from 15, and while that means there is still headroom above him, it also means he is competitive and winning at his level rather than floundering.

He raced just one day ago and is clearly in the middle of a busy, productive spell. A horse that wins 1 in 5 over a career but has taken 3 of its last 6 is a horse in form, and at only four years old, there may well be more to come.