Jumby

The ground matters enormously to Jumby. Put him on fast, dry ground and he transforms: 3 wins from 16 races (19%, or roughly 1 in 5) on a quick surface. On soft or muddy ground, those numbers disappear entirely. His trainer Eve Johnson Houghton has been candid about this — picking races for him means waiting for the right conditions and the right distance. Seven furlongs is his sweet spot, and Johnson Houghton has pointed out that it's actually the hardest trip to find at the top level, which goes some way to explaining why a horse of his ability only has three wins on his record.

Johnson Houghton clearly thinks there's more to come. After his Haydock win she spoke about him being "a brilliant horse" in Group 3s who has won a Group 2 and could win another. He was third in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot three years ago, and this summer he went back and finished tenth — not a result to write home about, though his trainer was at pains to point out that Ascot's stiff track doesn't really suit him. The Hungerford, back at Newbury, is the race she has in mind as a target, and for good reason: he won it in 2022 and was beaten by a nose and a short head when third last year.

He hasn't won in his last six races, and his last victory was 38 months ago. For most horses that would be a story of decline. For Jumby, racing exclusively at the top level with Charles Bishop in the saddle for 14 of those outings, it reads more like a horse waiting for the right day. The yard has sent out 42 winners this season, and Johnson Houghton isn't giving up on her old boy yet.