Magna Sam

Across his 19-race career, Magna Sam has won 4 times and finished in the places on 6 more occasions — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 5 races (21%), which is respectable for a horse operating at this level. The ground matters enormously, though. On wet or slightly soft conditions, his record reads 4 wins from 11 races — that is 36%, or well over 1 in 3. On faster ground those numbers dry up just as quickly as the turf does. He is essentially a different horse depending on what falls from the sky.

Trainer Alastair Ralph, who operates out of Bridgnorth in Shropshire and has sent out 25 winners this season, has been candid about the journey. Magna Sam had a difficult spell, and after a wind operation following a break, the improvement was immediate — his February 2025 Class 2 win at Musselburgh was the reward. Ralph noted that a confidence-boosting run at Doncaster had helped set that up, and it showed.

Now 12 years old and having not won in his last 6 races, Magna Sam is clearly at a stage where conditions need to fall right. Ralph has him pencilled in for the Eider Chase at Newcastle on February 21st, but is realistic — the ground needs to dry out a little first. He is also a two-time winner of the Edinburgh National, though he missed this year's running. The Eider represents the next logical step, and if the weather cooperates, this is still a horse capable of making an impression at one of racing's bigger occasions.