Lipa K

The story begins in Ireland, with a first win at Killarney in May 2022 that prompted its trainer at the time to say, simply, "I'd love to keep a horse like him." That instinct proved right. Lipa K eventually made its way to Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero's yard in Oldcastle, Cheshire — a team that has sent out 43 winners already this season, which tells you plenty about how seriously they operate. The joint trainer noted when the horse arrived that it came essentially ready to run, having built good habits at its previous yard. That is a rarer thing than it sounds.

What makes Lipa K genuinely interesting is what happens when you zoom in on the details. At Bangor-on-Dee, it has won 4 of 7 races — that is a remarkable number for one track, and it suggests the course suits something about how this horse travels and jumps. It also thrives in wet, muddy conditions, winning 2 of its 4 races on soft ground. The trainer has been open about the fact that stepping it up to three miles unlocked another level, and a strong second at Aintree hints at real quality underneath the routine Class 4 assignments. The Pertemps Final — one of the bigger prizes in jump racing — was mentioned as a target.

Recent form backs all of this up. In its last 6 races, Lipa K has finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, with a win at Warwick just five weeks ago. Henry Brooke, who rides it most often, has won 3 of their 7 races together — that is nearly 1 in every 2 rides, which is an unusually productive partnership. This is a horse that knows its job, suits a particular kind of rider, and keeps finding the line when it matters.