Nakamura

The form figures tell an interesting story. Reading from most recent backwards — 8, 4, 1, 1, 3, 6 — you can see a horse that went through a rough patch, found its feet, and then delivered back-to-back wins before a couple of less impressive efforts. That sequence of two consecutive victories, at Navan in August 2025 and then at Cork in September 2025, suggests Nakamura hit a real purple patch in the autumn. The Cork win was six months ago, so the big question now is whether this horse can rediscover that form as the season builds.

The most striking number in Nakamura's record is what happens on wet or muddy ground: 2 wins from just 3 races, a 67% win rate. In racing terms, that is extraordinary. It means when conditions are soft underfoot, this horse transforms into something genuinely special — winning two in every three attempts. That is the kind of stat that makes trainers and jockeys sit up and watch the weather forecast very carefully.

Ben Coen is the man in the saddle more often than not, and the partnership is a productive one. Together they have won 2 of their 7 races — roughly 1 in every 3.5 outings, or 29% — which is well above average for a jockey-horse combination. That kind of familiarity matters; Coen clearly knows how to get the best out of this horse.

Behind the scenes, Nakamura is trained by J P Murtagh at Coolaghknock Glebe in County Kildare, a yard that has sent out 56 winners already this season alone. That is a training operation firing on all cylinders, and having a three-year-old with Nakamura's profile in the string is exactly the kind of project a yard like that can develop carefully. With soft ground, Ben Coen in the saddle, and a trainer in top form, the pieces are in place for more big days ahead.