Myretown

The numbers tell an interesting story. Myretown has won 4 of his 16 races, roughly one in every four — a solid record, but what jumps out is where and when those wins have come. At Kelso, the Scottish course where he got off the mark, he has won 2 of just 3 races. That kind of dominance at a single track — two wins from three visits — is rare enough to be meaningful, not just a coincidence. His best performances also tend to arrive on wet or muddy ground, where he has won 2 of 5 races, a 40% win rate that tells you conditions matter with this horse. Put him on a soft, testing track and you are seeing the best version of him.

Russell trains Myretown alongside Michael Scudamore at their yard in Milnathort, and the stable has had a productive season — 49 winners and counting. Jockey Derek Fox has partnered Myretown in 12 of his 16 races and won on him 3 times, a relationship built on familiarity and trust. Russell was clear after Kelso that she wanted to keep Fox in the plate, which says something about how seriously they take that partnership.

What makes Myretown genuinely fascinating at this stage of his career is the trajectory. He had not won in six races before Cheltenham, and Russell was frank that she did not know whether he would be "man enough" for the Festival. He answered that question emphatically. His jumping has been erratic at times — he fell badly at Windsor — but Kelso rebuilt his confidence, and Cheltenham proved the transformation was real. He has raced only 16 times for a nine-year-old, which means there is still plenty of unexplored territory. Russell has spoken about the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury as a next step, with the Grand National a longer-term target that fits his profile. Whatever comes next, a horse who just won at Cheltenham off what his trainer called a mark that "in a normal year wouldn't have got him into the race" deserves to be watched very closely.