Mahons Glory

The ground matters to Mahons Glory — but in a good way. On normal conditions he has won 3 from 12 races (25%), and on slightly softer ground that climbs to 2 from just 7 races (29%). Put simply, he handles a bit of give better than most, and when conditions suit, he tends to deliver. His best level is Class 3, one step below the very top tier, and there he has been genuinely impressive: 4 wins from 11 races, which works out at 36%, or winning more than 1 in every 3. That is a horse who knows his territory and performs when he belongs.

Jockey Lee Edwards has ridden him ten times and they have won twice together — a 20% win rate, or 1 in every 5 rides. Edwards is clearly a fan. After one race at Stratford he described Mahons Glory as a horse who "gets in a rhythm out in front from fence to fence" and simply loves to bowl along at the head of affairs. That kind of front-running confidence is a real asset — horses who settle into their own race rarely do themselves harm.

Trainer Dylan Cunha, based at Newmarket, has had 45 winners this season from his yard — a serious total that marks him out as one of the more productive operations around. He has been candid about Mahons Glory needing some patience: a change of scenery helped reignite him, and Edwards schooling the horse before a recent run proved the turning point. Cunha's comment that the horse has "loads of ability if we can get his head right" is telling — this is a trainer who knows he is working with genuine talent, not just hoping for the best.

With recent form showing a win, a fourth place, and a second from his last active runs, Mahons Glory is clearly in the best shape he has been in for a while. At ten, most horses are winding down. This one just won this week.