Johnson's Blue

The headline stat, though, is Hexham. At that tight, undulating course in Northumberland, Johnson's Blue has won 4 of just 7 races — more than half. To put that in perspective, most horses are lucky to win at a single track once. Winning there at that rate suggests the place simply suits everything about how this horse runs: the track shape, the distances on offer, the way the ground tends to ride. It's the kind of record that makes you sit up and take notice.

The peak moment came on 18 February 2023, when Johnson's Blue won a Class 2 race at Haydock Park — one of the better races in Britain — which tells you this horse has competed and won at a serious level. Class 3 has been its most regular home, and there it has won 3 from 9 (33%), or roughly 1 in every 3 races. That's a sharp number at a competitive level.

The less rosy side: Johnson's Blue hasn't won in its last six races, and that last victory is now 40 months in the past. Recent form shows a fifth, two thirds, and a seventh — not disgraced, but not quite getting there either. Jockey Jamie Hamilton, who has partnered the horse in 18 of its 27 races and won 3 of them (winning roughly 1 in every 6 rides together), remains the regular partner. Walford's yard is clearly in good shape — 35 winners already this season — so the support team hasn't gone anywhere.

Johnson's Blue raced just yesterday, which means the yard are keeping this horse busy and believing there's more to come. For a nine-year-old with a big-race win on its CV and a course record that borders on freakish, that belief doesn't seem unreasonable.