Jack Sprat

The most interesting chapter of Jack Sprat's story is at Huntingdon, where he has won 2 of his 5 races. That might sound modest until you consider that plenty of horses run at dozens of tracks across their careers without ever finding a home. Huntingdon, it seems, is his. Jockey Gavin Sheehan — who has ridden him in 14 of his 26 races and won on him twice, a win rate of roughly 1 in 7 — was candid after one of those victories, explaining that he'd deliberately waited before hitting the front, wary that Jack Sprat might ease up if given too clear a view of the finishing line. That kind of tactical thinking only works when jockey and horse know each other, and these two clearly do.

James Moffatt described him during a stable tour as one of those consistent horses who always gets his races run — though a switch to fences last year didn't quite click. The return to hurdles brought him back to life, and a good second at Bangor suggested the old spark was still there. His last win came at Exeter in January 2025, seventeen months ago now, and his last six runs have produced two fourth-place finishes and nothing closer to the front. He raced just yesterday, so the team are clearly keeping him busy.

At eight years old and competing mainly in Class 4 races — two wins from 19 attempts at that level — Jack Sprat isn't going to trouble the big occasions at Cheltenham or Ascot. But Moffatt's yard has sent out 11 winners already this season, which tells you this is a stable that knows how to place its horses well. The question now is whether Jack Sprat can find his way back to a track he loves, in conditions that suit, with Sheehan in the saddle timing his run to the moment. When all those pieces line up, he has shown he can deliver.