Hurstwood

The most striking thing in the numbers is what happens when the ground is dry and fast. On those conditions, Hurstwood has won 4 from just 7 races — that's well over half. For context, even very good horses rarely win at that rate. It suggests that when the conditions suit, this is a horse transformed. Slightly softer ground still works, with 2 wins from 8 races (25%), but dry ground is clearly the sweet spot. Peter Niven's yard in North Yorkshire, which has already sent out 12 winners this season, will be watching the weather forecasts closely.

Redcar is where Hurstwood first announced itself — the debut win came there on 27 July 2022 — and the track has remained a happy hunting ground ever since. Three wins from nine races at Redcar is a remarkable record. Racecourses suit certain horses for reasons that aren't always obvious: the shape of the track, the ground, the way races tend to be run. Whatever the reason, Hurstwood at Redcar is a combination worth noting.

The most recent win came at Nottingham on 8 October 2025, and Hurstwood raced again just yesterday, which tells you something about the horse's constitution — still active, still competing at nine years old, when plenty of horses have long since been retired. Regular partner Aiden Brookes has been aboard for 15 of those races, winning twice together (roughly 1 in every 7 rides). The recent form reads 6-4-9-7-6-1, so there were some quiet runs before that Nottingham victory, but the win itself confirms the ability is still there. The question now, as ever with Hurstwood, is whether the ground comes up right.