Nostrum

What makes Nostrum interesting is not his bare record but the puzzle he presents to his trainer Michael Appleby. The horse clearly thrives with the right jockey — he has won half his races with Ryan Moore aboard, a win rate that leaps out from the numbers — and he is a course specialist at Newmarket, where he has won 2 of his 6 races. He also has a clear preference for fast, dry ground, winning 2 of 9 races on those conditions. Yet none of this has been enough to crack top company consistently. Appleby has hinted at a change of tactics, suggesting a drop back in trip to six furlongs and entries for races like the Lennox, with an eye toward France's prestigious Foret. The trainer speaks of Nostrum's "huge amount of ability" but acknowledges he might not be straightforward — and the recent Goodwood run, where he seemed to fade in the final furlong on softer ground, suggests he is growing harder to read as he ages. At this stage of his career, Nostrum is a horse of unfulfilled promise, still capable enough to turn a corner but running out of time to prove it.