Lord Baddesley

He clearly has preferences. On normal ground — not too wet, not too firm — he transforms into a different proposition entirely, winning 3 of his 16 races in those conditions, which is almost 1 in 5. That is a meaningful difference, and it tells you something about how he moves: he wants a surface that lets him travel. His favourite venue is Plumpton, where he has won 2 of his 6 races there — a 1-in-3 record that most horses would envy. That is not coincidence; that is a horse who knows a track that suits him.

His trainer, Anthony Honeyball, has been open about the fact that Lord Baddesley has had a slightly complicated relationship with confidence. After being unseated at Cheltenham, the horse lost his way mentally for a spell. When he won at Newbury in November 2025 — his most recent victory, now six months ago — Honeyball described him as still a big, excitable creature, still getting hot on the way to the track, but doing everything right when it mattered. That win came on a proper galloping track on decent ground, which tells you everything about what this horse needs to show his best.

He has not won in his last six races, and jockey Tom Cannon, who knows him best with 9 rides together, has found the winner's enclosure with him just once. But Honeyball's yard has sent out 51 winners this season alone, which is a productive operation, and Lord Baddesley raced just yesterday — he is current, fit, and still in the mix. The trainer has spoken about him being a lovely prospect as a chaser next season, suggesting there may be a new chapter ahead for a horse who, at 11, has already shown he is not done surprising people.