Ingleby Archie

His win rate of 18% — roughly 1 in every 5 races — tells one story, but his record at the level he most often competes at tells another. In Class 4 races, the fourth tier of British racing, he has won just 1 from 13, or less than 1 in 10. That gap between his overall record and his record at that level suggests he is a horse who is competitive but finds it hard to get his head in front when the races are at their most routine. Nicholls knows this better than anyone — he noted that after Ingleby Archie's first win at Redcar in June 2024, it had taken him long enough to get there, and that the horse had finished second three times in a row before finally breaking through.

What Nicholls has also been candid about is that Ingleby Archie can be his own worst enemy. The horse gets wound up — literally. He overheated in the saddling boxes before one race at Thirsk, and he completely fell apart at Pontefract on another occasion. Nicholls had thought the track would suit him, but the horse had other ideas on the walk across to the start. Managing his temperament is as much a part of the job as training him.

That said, when it clicks, it really clicks. His most recent win came at Nottingham just three weeks ago, and his current form reads 3-1-2-3 across his last four races — consistently in the mix. His most regular jockey, Harrison Shaw, has won 2 of their 9 races together, a rate of around 1 in every 4-and-a-half rides, and Nicholls has spoken warmly about how well Shaw is riding at the moment. One of those wins together came at York, which Nicholls described as being chuffed to bits about — because a winner at York, whatever the level of the race, means something. Having raced just yesterday, Ingleby Archie is very much a horse in form and in the thick of his season.