Jasour

The story of how he got there is worth telling. After breaking his duck at Nottingham in June 2023, he won a Class 1 at Newmarket the following month in the July Stakes — a race in which Jim Crowley rode him, and trainer Clive Cox has spoken about how the pair immediately clicked. That partnership mattered, because Jasour had not always found racing straightforward. Cox has described how as a young horse Jasour once got into a flat spin during a race in France, going too free and effectively frightening himself. The team spent the winter giving him time and space — turnout at home, patience, careful management — and it paid off the following spring when he returned to Ascot in May 2024 and won again at the top level.

That Ascot win was 26 months ago now, and Jasour has not won since across six races. His most recent run, just yesterday, produced a 17th-place finish. But Cox has been at pains to point out that his last reappearance at Haydock came after a bruised foot disrupted his preparation, and that he expected a much better version of the horse to follow. Clive Cox's Lambourn yard has sent out 48 winners already this season, so this is clearly a stable in good form — and Cox has already floated the idea of the July Cup, one of the most prestigious sprint races of the summer, as a target.

At his best, Jasour competes comfortably in the top tier — he has won 2 from 10 races at Class 1 level, which is a solid 20% win rate at the very highest grade. With Crowley in the saddle across 9 races together, the pair have won twice, a win rate of roughly 1 in 4.5. There is clearly still a live horse here, and Cox sounds like a trainer who believes the best is not entirely behind him.