My Friend Sean

Tom Lacey's yard at Woolhope in Herefordshire has had a strong season with 37 winners, and My Friend Sean has been a meaningful contributor to that tally. The horse performs at its very best over middle distances of a mile and six furlongs to two miles, where it has won three of six races. At the shorter end of that range and beyond, however, My Friend Sean becomes considerably less reliable. It typically races in Class 4 company, where it has won two of ten attempts.

The recent form tells a cautionary tale. My Friend Sean raced yesterday and came fifth, extending a run of six consecutive races without a win — three fifth-place finishes, a sixth, a second, and the most recent defeat. Stan Sheppard, the horse's usual jockey, has partnered it 15 times and managed just the one success, a win rate of 7%, which suggests the partnership has not clicked as well as either party might have hoped. For a horse that knows how to win and boasts genuine form at a particular track, the current slump is notable. Whether My Friend Sean can rediscover the winning touch — particularly back at Uttoxeter, where all the evidence suggests it belongs — remains to be seen.