Kylian

What makes Kylian particularly interesting is his record on normal ground conditions — four wins from just six races, a remarkable 67%. That is not a coincidence. When the ground is riding as it should, this horse performs. He has also shown a real liking for all-weather tracks, winning at Newcastle, Lingfield, and Wolverhampton across the winter of 2024 into early 2025. Three Class 2 victories in the space of two months suggests a horse who hit a genuine purple patch. His partnership with jockey Luke Morris tells its own story too: three wins from five rides together, which means they win 60% of the time — comfortably better than 1 in every 2 races as a pair.

The current form, though, asks a question. Kylian has not won in his last six races, and his most recent run produced a seventh-place finish. His trainer Robert Cowell, who has sent out 24 winners from his Newmarket yard this season, has been candid about the horse's character — describing him as a slow learner who has needed racing experience to find his best. A recent third at Leicester behind Strike Red was promising, and Cowell felt the stiff hill over six furlongs with near-top weight was simply too much that day. A subsequent run at York was hampered by a poor draw on the wrong side of the track rather than lack of ability.

At five years old and still actively racing, the feeling around the yard is that Kylian remains capable of popping up in a big race when conditions fall right. He is the kind of horse who rewards patience — not always flashy, sometimes frustrating, but capable of a performance that reminds you exactly why the team kept faith with him.