Leadenhall

Over 37 career races, Leadenhall has won five times and finished in the places on another 14 occasions — a win rate of about 1 in every 7 races. That might not sound spectacular, but context matters. Most of his racing has come at Class 4 level, which is solidly mid-table in British racing, and winning 2 from 4 at Haydock Park is genuinely impressive. When a horse wins half its races at a specific track, you start to wonder whether there is something about the place — the layout, the long run-in — that simply suits how he moves. His first career win came there back in August 2023, and Haydock has been kind to him ever since.

The ground makes a difference too. On normal conditions — not too wet, not too firm — Leadenhall has won 3 of his 13 races (23%), which is a healthy return. He also has a clear preference for distances around a mile to a mile and two furlongs, where he has won all five of his career races from 18 attempts, a rate of 28%, or just over 1 in every 4. Easterby noted early on that a mile looked like his trip but that slightly further might suit — the evidence since has backed that up nicely.

Jockey David Allan knows him well, having ridden him in nine races and won twice together — roughly 1 in every 4.5 rides, which is a solid partnership. When Leadenhall first won at Haydock, the jockey that day, Hector Crouch, noted that the team had worked hard to iron out some of the horse's quirks, removing his headgear and letting him race more freely. It worked. The yard itself is firing on all cylinders this season, sending out 128 winners — so Leadenhall is part of a well-oiled operation that clearly knows what it is doing with him. Right now, he looks like a horse who has found his groove.