Lunario

Trained by Luke Dace at Billingshurst in West Sussex — a yard that has already sent out 6 winners this season — Lunario is most often ridden by Jack Dace, who has partnered the horse in 12 races and won twice together, a win rate of around 1 in 6. That kind of long-running partnership matters: a jockey who knows a horse's quirks and tendencies is worth more than the numbers alone suggest.

The ground makes a real difference to this horse. On fast, dry ground, Lunario has won 4 from 11 races — that is 36%, or more than 1 in every 3, which is a genuinely strong figure. On normal conditions the record is 2 wins from 7, also a healthy 29%. Put it together, and Lunario is essentially a fair-weather horse: when the sun is out and the ground is quick, this is a very different animal to the one that struggles on wet, muddy tracks. The Ascot win this week will almost certainly have come on decent ground, and that context matters.

At 7 furlongs to a mile — a middle-distance trip that suits a horse with a bit of stamina but still plenty of pace — Lunario has won 3 from 11 races, again around 1 in every 4. The career started at Great Yarmouth in April 2024, and while recent form (a win followed by finishes of 12th, 11th, 7th, 9th and 8th before this week's victory) shows the inconsistency that is fairly typical at this level, the Ascot win cuts right through that noise. Winning at one of Britain's most famous tracks is never routine, whatever the class of race, and it gives Lunario's season a focal point that any racing fan would recognise. Watch for the next run — if the ground stays dry, this horse will have its backers interested.