Mark's Choice

The numbers are genuinely extraordinary. Mark's Choice has won 5 times from 16 races at Ripon — that's nearly 1 in every 3 visits ending in victory, at a track where most horses are lucky to win once. He won there three times in a single season last year alone. The affection runs so deep that Ripon has named a race after him — a rare honour for any horse, let alone one still actively competing. He is entered there again this Friday, in a memorial race, and the local crowd will be expecting something special. Tutty puts it simply: he does nothing much at home, but the moment he arrives at Ripon, he just comes alive.

His overall record of 5 wins from 37 races — roughly 1 in every 7 — might not leap off the page on its own. But context matters. He has won 2 of his last 6 races, his most recent victory coming at Ripon just eight months ago. He ran again yesterday, so this is not a horse winding down. He is still showing up and still competing. On normal ground he wins at a rate of 4 from 15 — more than 1 in every 4 — and most of his races have been at Class 4 level, the solid middle tier of British racing, where he has won 4 of 17. That's a 24% win rate at that level, which any trainer would take.

Tutty is honest that she only trained Mark's Choice towards the tail end of his career, but she clearly gets him. Tutty's yard has sent out 20 winners already this season, so this is not a quiet operation. William Pyle rides him most often — they have won once from six outings together, a 17% win rate, but the partnership is still developing. At ten years old, Mark's Choice is competing against horses years younger and seemingly enjoying every minute of it. When Friday comes and he walks into Ripon, expect the crowd to give him a reception most horses never earn in a lifetime.