King's Castle

The pattern that stands out is King's Castle on normal, standard ground at distance. On fast, dry conditions he wins roughly 2 in every 5 races, and over the long routes (two miles and beyond) he has won 4 of his 10 races — a 40 percent win rate that ranks as genuinely strong. That is where David Simcock, his Newmarket trainer, should be looking to place him. The yard has sent out 39 winners this season, so there is plenty of traffic and quality being trained there, and Miss Taryn Langley, who has ridden King's Castle 13 times, has a 23 percent win rate aboard him — 3 wins from 13 races together, better than his overall figures, which hints at a good working relationship.

King's Castle races mostly in Class 5 company, where he has won 4 of 14 starts. He is not a top-tier performer and never has been, but he remains active, most recently racing just a day ago. At nine, he is in his twilight years as a racehorse, and the long lay-off since his last win would concern most observers. For him to get back to the line, Simcock will need to find a race where the ground is kind, the distance suits, and the company allows King's Castle to show the form that made him a multiple winner in the first place.