Nazare

James Owen's yard at Newmarket has been in serious form this season, sending out 205 winners — a volume that speaks to an operation firing on all cylinders. Nazare is very much part of that story. Owen has spoken warmly about the horse's development, noting steady progress through early experience before finding a groove over hurdles at distances of two and a half miles and beyond. That patience in placing the horse carefully appears to have paid off.

The most telling detail in Nazare's record is Southwell. Two wins from 5 races at that track is the kind of course affinity that seasoned racegoers notice immediately. Some horses simply take to a particular track — the shape of the turns, the surface, the way the race tends to develop — and Southwell clearly suits Nazare down to the ground. The most recent of those wins came just this week, on 9 June 2026, which means this is a horse in current, live form rather than one trading on past glories.

Recent form reads 1-3-6-9 going back from that latest win, which tells an honest story: a dip in the middle of that sequence, some less impressive efforts, and then a return to winning ways. The recovery matters. Plenty of horses have a bad patch; not all of them bounce back with a win at a track they clearly love.

Competing mainly at Class 4 level — one rung below the top end of everyday racing — Nazare has won 1 of 4 races at that grade, or 1 in every 4 attempts. There is a reasonable case that stepping back down in class, as appears to have happened at Southwell this week, brings out the best in this horse. At 6 years old, Nazare is hitting what should be a productive prime, trained by a yard in excellent form, with a favourite track to return to. The ingredients are in place for more of the same.