James's Delight

The career arc here is genuinely interesting. James's Delight broke through at Newbury in July 2023, then stepped up to win two top-two races in the space of six weeks in spring 2024 — at Newmarket in May and York in June — which are two of the most prestigious tracks in the country. That kind of back-to-back form at quality venues suggested a horse hitting its peak at exactly the right moment. The most recent win came at The Curragh in Ireland in May 2025, which shows the team are willing to travel when they fancy their chances.

The puzzle is what happens when the competition gets even stiffer. In six attempts at Class 1 level — the very top tier of British racing — James's Delight has not won once. Zero from six. That's not a small sample size, and it's worth noting honestly: this is a horse that has thrived just below the summit but hasn't yet cracked the biggest races. The recent form figures of 6-15-17 tell a similar story of a horse that has found things tough in its last three outings, though a run three days ago means the yard are clearly keeping it busy.

Richard Kingscote, who rides more often than anyone else on this horse, has a strong record in the partnership — two wins from five rides together, meaning he's won 40% of the time when the pair are united. That's a meaningful number and suggests a jockey who understands what makes this horse tick.

At its best, James's Delight is a proper performer at a high level, with the Newmarket and York wins as proof. The question now is whether a return to that kind of form is coming — or whether those spring 2024 weeks were the high-water mark of a career that has since been testing itself against company that may simply be too good.