Kats Bob

Ruth Carr trains him from her yard at Stillington in North Yorkshire, and she knows exactly what she has. She describes him as a front-runner who wears his heart on his sleeve — he goes to the front early and tries to keep everyone else behind him. It is a simple, honest style, and it suits him. Carr's yard has hit form this season, sending out 63 winners, and Kats Bob is part of that momentum. He ran a good second at Catterick on his reappearance last week after a break, which is encouraging, and is declared at Ripon on Thursday. Carr admits she is not always keen to run a horse twice in quick succession after a return from a break, but the handicapper's response to that Catterick run may force her hand — and by her own account, he seems well enough to take his chance.

His most regular jockey is Andrew Mullen, who has ridden him to 5 wins from their 28 races together — roughly 1 in every 6 rides — a productive partnership by any measure. Kats Bob particularly likes normal or dry ground, winning 5 from 17 and 2 from 7 respectively on those surfaces, both at a 29% rate. He has also shown a liking for Southwell, winning 2 from just 5 visits there, making him one to watch whenever that track comes up.

The last win came at York on 14 June 2025, around eleven months ago, and recent form has been a little patchy — a finish of 14th last time out before that encouraging Catterick second. But with a horse this consistent, and a trainer clearly timing a return to form with care, it would be a brave person to write him off.