Kats Bob

The horse last won at York on 14 June 2025, more than a year ago. Since then, he has raced six times without a victory, though he did finish placed twice, suggesting he is still competitive. Kats Bob appears at his best on normal ground — he has won 5 of 17 races on such conditions, a rate of roughly 1 in 3.4 — and he holds a particular liking for Southwell, where he has won twice from five attempts. Trainer Ruth Carr, who runs the yard at Stillington in North Yorkshire, reports that he is a straightforward, front-running type with genuine enthusiasm for racing. After finishing second at Catterick on his return to action last week, the plan is to run him at Ripon on Thursday, though Carr is cautious about backing him up quickly after his break.

The partnership with jockey Andrew Mullen has yielded five wins from 28 races together — an 18% rate — slightly better than Kats Bob's overall record, suggesting they work well as a team. At his usual level of Class 5 races, he has won 6 of 27 starts, or roughly 1 in 4.5. He is not a fashionable prospect, but he remains active and in a yard sending out 56 winners this season. If the handicapper does not punish him too harshly for his Catterick run, he may yet get another opportunity to remind people why he was worth keeping around.