Maxident

What makes him genuinely interesting is how well he handles heavy, waterlogged ground. In three races on very wet and muddy conditions, he has won twice — that is a 67% win rate, or two wins from three attempts, which is a remarkable return. Most horses are relatively straightforward: they run, they finish, they go home. Maxident becomes a different animal when it is raining hard and the ground is churned up. His trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy, based at Newmarket in Suffolk, will almost certainly be watching the weather forecast closely when planning his next run. The yard has sent out 43 winners this season, so this is a sharp, well-organised operation that knows how to place a horse to its best advantage.

Maxident's most productive distance is around a mile and three or four furlongs — essentially a middle-distance horse who stays well when the conditions suit. At that trip he has won 1 from 3, which is a 33% win rate. He mostly competes at Class 4 level, one of the mid-tier grades in Britain, where he has won 2 of his 8 races at that level. His regular partner in the saddle is David Egan, who has ridden him seven times for one win together — a win rate of roughly 1 in 7, which is modest, but the pair clearly know each other well by now.

He is coming back from a break of around six months, having last raced at Ffos Las in September 2025. That layoff is the big question mark. His recent form before the break was encouraging — a win, two second places and a fourth — suggesting he was in good nick when the yard decided to give him time off. Now the key is whether he comes back in the same shape. If the ground comes up wet and the trip is right, Maxident has shown he can be genuinely difficult to beat.