Le Beau Garcon

The interesting thing about Le Beau Garcon is not that he wins often, but where he tends to win. On dry, fast ground, his record improves dramatically: 2 wins from 12 races on those conditions, a rate of better than 1 in 6. Swap him onto wet or muddy ground and he becomes far more pedestrian, which suggests that if his the yard can time a run at a track with the right ground underfoot, they have at least a fighting chance. His recent form has been frustrating — he has not won in his last six races, with mostly mid-field finishes — but consistency in the placings tells you he is not falling apart.

Joanna Mason, his most regular jockey, has ridden him to success more than once: 2 wins from 11 races together, a win rate of about 1 in 5 when they team up. That is a meaningful difference, and suggests Mason knows how to get the best out of him. He races most often in Class 4 company — the lower end of competitive racing — where he has won 1 from 17 times. The Michael & David Easterby yard at Sheriff Hutton has sent out 55 winners this season, so they are clearly capable of managing their horses effectively, but Le Beau Garcon remains a horse who wins only occasionally and needs everything in his favour — the right ground, the right jockey, the right moment.