Ndaawi

The career highlights arrive in an interesting cluster. Ndaawi's first win came at Goodwood in August 2022, followed just four weeks later by a victory in a Class 2 race at Epsom Downs — one step below the very top level of British racing. Landing a Class 2 at Epsom, one of the most famous tracks in the world, is not something most horses ever manage. It suggests that at its best, Ndaawi belongs at a decent level. Most recently, the horse won at Galway in July 2025, which shows the ability hasn't gone anywhere even as it enters its mid-career years.

Where Ndaawi really comes alive is on normal ground — not too wet, not too firm, just a standard surface — winning 3 from 6 races in those conditions, a remarkable 50% win rate. That kind of stat is worth watching on a racecard: if the ground is right, this horse delivers. It also performs best over a distance of roughly a mile and a furlong to a mile and two furlongs, winning 2 of its 4 races at those trips. Again, that's a 50% return, which is exceptional. The picture is of a horse that knows exactly what it likes.

The one note of caution is at the very top level. Ndaawi has run 5 times in Class 1 races — the elite end of the sport — and is yet to win one. That's not a surprise; these are the best horses in training, and simply getting placed or finishing respectably at that level is an achievement in itself. But it does suggest Ndaawi is a horse that thrives just below the summit rather than at it.

Trained by Gordon Elliott, whose yard has sent out an extraordinary 209 winners this season alone, Ndaawi is in exactly the right hands. With Jack Kennedy most often in the saddle — they've won together 2 times from 9 rides — and the horse's love of normal ground and a specific trip well established, the ingredients for another win are clearly understood.