Masqool

Tony Carroll, who trains from Cropthorne in Worcestershire, has built one of the most productive operations in the country right now — 136 winners already this season tells you this is a yard that knows exactly what it is doing with horses like Masqool. Carroll has found the right level for this horse: Class 6, the bread-and-butter end of British racing, where Masqool has won 8 of 34 races at that grade, roughly 1 in every 4. That is a seriously healthy return and suggests a horse that, when conditions suit, is better than most of its rivals at this level.

The partnership with jockey Dougie Costello has been central to those successes. In 33 races together, Costello has steered Masqool to 6 wins — that is roughly 1 in every 5 — making him comfortably the most effective jockey in the saddle. When those two line up together, you pay attention.

Nowhere is Masqool more dangerous than at Lingfield Park, where the horse has won 4 times from 17 visits. That is almost 1 in every 4 races at the track, and it marks Lingfield out as a genuine hunting ground. Horses often run better at certain venues because of the track's shape or the surface it uses, and whatever it is about Lingfield that suits Masqool, the record speaks for itself.

The slight concern right now is that Masqool has not won in the last 6 races, with the most recent victory coming at Chelmsford in August 2025 — around 11 months ago. The recent form of 8-2-4-8-4-3 shows plenty of placed efforts mixed with some quieter runs. Racing just one day ago, Masqool is clearly active and hardy, which is a quality in itself. Whether a return to Lingfield with Costello aboard can unlock that winning feeling again is the question worth watching.