Lightening Company

Ben Haslam's yard at Middleham Moor has kept him competitive, and he's a regular in Class 3 company, though wins there have been scarce: just one victory from eleven attempts at that level. The horse shows clearer promise at longer distances. Over 1m6f to 2m, he's won one from four races, a 25 percent win rate that suggests he settles better when given room to find his rhythm. More striking still is his performance on slightly soft ground, where he's won twice from six races — a 33 percent win rate that marks him as a horse who genuinely handles the mud better than most of his rivals.

His most recent victory came five months ago at Pontefract, a track where he has always run well. Jockey Andrew Mullen, who has partnered him 16 times, has steered him to two wins on the horse's behalf. In his last six races, Lightening Company has shown recent form suggesting he can still contribute: he's won twice in that spell, including a pair of consecutive wins before that run petered out. At eight years old, he remains active and was in action just yesterday, a sign that the yard still believe there are races left in him. For a horse who has earned a steady living without the brilliance to reach the very top, that's a respectable achievement.