King Sharja

His overall record reads four wins and seven places from 29 races, a win rate of around 1 in every 7, which is modest enough. But zoom in on Beverley and the picture sharpens dramatically: three wins from nine races there, meaning he has won 1 in every 3 times he has turned up at that particular track. For context, most horses at his level win roughly 1 in 10 or fewer. Finding a track where a horse wins 1 in 3 is genuinely rare, and it tells you that something about Beverley — its tight turns, its uphill finish, its particular rhythm — suits him down to the ground. His trainer Ruth Carr, who runs a busy and productive yard in Stillington, North Yorkshire — 63 winners already this season — says simply that he seems to like it there, and the numbers back that up completely.

He also has a strong preference for dry, fast ground, winning 3 of his 6 races on those conditions — exactly 50%. That is a number worth remembering when the summer comes and the ground firms up. Pair fast ground with Beverley and a trip between seven furlongs and a mile, and you are looking at the version of King Sharja most likely to be competitive. James Sullivan, who has ridden him in 18 of his 29 races, has been part of three of those four wins — a partnership that clearly works.

His recent form is mixed: a win at Beverley last July, then a couple of encouraging placed efforts mixed in with some quieter runs. Carr has been straightforward about where he fits — she expects him to pick up a couple of races at the lower end of the sport this season, and given what he has done at Beverley already, that seems a reasonable forecast rather than wishful thinking. He raced just yesterday, so he is very much in active training. He is not a horse who will make headlines, but for those who follow him to his favourite track on a dry summer afternoon, he has a habit of making things interesting.