Jesmond Dawn

The clue to getting the best from him is in the conditions. On fast, dry ground he has won 2 from 7 races — that's nearly 1 in 3, a completely different horse from the one who plods through soft, wet conditions. His best trips are the short, sharp sprints between five and six-and-a-half furlongs, where he has won 1 from 4 — a 25% win rate that stands well above his overall numbers. When trainer Grant Tuer can find dry ground over a sprint trip, the picture changes considerably.

Tuer, based in Birkby, North Yorkshire, has had a productive season with 26 winners from the yard — a yard that clearly knows how to place a horse right. Jockey Oliver Stammers has partnered Jesmond Dawn most often, riding him 18 times for 1 win, though that single win came at Redcar in June 2024. Stammers has described Jesmond Dawn as a horse the team has always thought highly of — and that first win was a meaningful moment after some early disappointment when the horse failed to fulfil his two-year-old promise.

His most recent win came at Newcastle on 1 November 2025, and he has not won in his last six races since, with recent form reading 3-2-7-8-10-7 — those early placings giving way to some performances further back in the field. He now returns from a break of around 116 days, which is roughly three months off the track. Horses can come back from a rest sharper or rustier — there is no guarantee either way — but Tuer's yard clearly felt he needed time rather than another run.

The question with Jesmond Dawn is always whether the right race materialises: a quick surface, a sprint trip, and a field that suits his level. When those boxes are ticked, he has shown he can deliver.