Ingleby Archie

What makes Ingleby Archie interesting is not the raw numbers but what they tell you about his temperament and potential. He typically races in Class 4 company, where he has won just once from thirteen attempts, which speaks to how hard it is to win at that level. Yet Nicholls is not discouraged. The trainer notes that Ingleby Archie kept finishing second three times in a row before finally getting his head in front, and that his form from last year—when he was regularly finishing close to the top—suggests he is "quite well handicapped" for races at his level. The horse does not always cooperate, though. Nicholls admits Ingleby Archie can get wound up and even "completely blew out" at Pontefract, suggesting he is a horse who needs the right circumstances and the right handling to perform at his best. Harrison Shaw, his regular rider, has won twice from nine races together at a rate of 22 percent—better than the horse's overall record—which hints that the partnership is working. With his trainer's yard in good form and the horse still actively racing, Ingleby Archie may yet surprise people at a track that suits his temperament.