Marhaba The Champ

The York connection is the heart of this horse's story. In seven races at the track, Marhaba The Champ has won twice — a 29% win rate that dwarfs anything it has managed elsewhere. Both wins came in 2023, the first in May and the second on a warm August afternoon, and on each occasion the pattern was the same: fast, dry ground and a high-class jockey nursing it through a race. After the May win, the trainer at the time noted that the horse had been "waiting for the ground" all season, and that quick, firm conditions were not just a preference but something close to a requirement. On wet or muddy ground, the stats bear that out — the form simply isn't there.

On fast ground specifically, the record reads 2 wins from 10 races, or 1 in 5 — a win rate that doubles what it achieves overall and tells you everything about where this horse needs to be aimed. The trainer Mrs S Leech, who now handles the horse from her base in Elton, has spoken warmly about its wellbeing and has flagged York as the obvious target. Her yard has sent out four winners already this season, so this is not a horse being quietly forgotten.

The honest caveat is that Marhaba The Champ has not won in its last six races, and the most recent form figures — finishing ninth and sixth in recent outings — are not eye-catching. It raced just yesterday, which tells you the team is keeping it active and looking for the right opportunity. Thirty-four months have now passed since that last York victory, and the question of whether it can recapture that form is a real one. But horses with a genuine course affinity have a habit of surprising you when conditions click into place. Get this horse back to York on a dry summer's day and the old magic may not be entirely spent.