Lights Are Green

The horse is trained by George Bewley, whose small yard in Colby, Cumbria, has sent out 7 winners this season — a decent return for a rural operation. The regular jockey is Jonathon Bewley, who has partnered Lights Are Green for 21 of its 28 races and accounts for all 3 career wins. That is a win rate of 14% together, roughly 1 in every 7 rides — noticeably better than the overall career average, which suggests this horse runs best when it knows who is in the saddle. At nine years old, with the same trainer and jockey throughout, this is a team that understands each other.

Most of its racing has come at Class 5, the bread-and-butter level where smaller yards make their bread. Two wins from 14 races at that level — 14%, or about 1 in 7 — tells you Lights Are Green is competitive without being dominant. It is not a horse built for the big occasions, but it is one that shows up, does its job, and occasionally wins somewhere it particularly likes.

The concern right now is timing. The last win came at Cartmel in July 2024, almost 23 months ago, and the last 6 races have produced just one third place and one fourth. That is a lean run by any measure, and at nine years old the margins for improvement are narrow. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly still sound and still being campaigned with intent. Whether it can find its way back to the winner's enclosure — ideally back at Cartmel, where it has done its best work — is the question the Bewley yard will be quietly trying to answer.