Mandarin Spirit

That win came at Thirsk in July 2025, and it is worth noting that Thirsk suits a certain type of horse — a sharp, relatively flat track in North Yorkshire that rewards horses who travel well and finish cleanly. Winning there on your third career start suggests Mandarin Spirit is figuring things out quickly. The fly in the ointment is that the most recent run on record was an eighth-place finish, which puts that Thirsk victory slightly in the rear-view mirror. The horse is now returning from a break of around six months, so today represents something of an unknown quantity — we know the talent is there, but whether the time off has sharpened or softened it is the question everyone will be trying to answer.

What works in Mandarin Spirit's favour is the trainer. Kevin Ryan operates out of Hambleton in North Yorkshire and has sent out 46 winners already this season — that is not a yard sending horses out for the experience, that is a team that expects results. Ryan has a long track record of placing young horses shrewdly, and the fact that he has kept Mandarin Spirit patient through a six-month break rather than rushing it back suggests there is a plan here. When a yard of that size and quality brings a horse back from a long absence, it usually means they like what they are seeing at home.

At three years old with only three races under its belt, Mandarin Spirit is still very much a work in progress — but the foundations look solid. One win from three races, placed in the other two, and trained by one of the more reliable operations in the north of England. The break is the one genuine question mark. If it returns in anything like the form that produced that Thirsk win, it will be a horse worth watching.