Notable Speech

The story starts at Kempton Park in January 2024, when Notable Speech won for the first time on an all-weather surface. That might sound like a modest beginning, but the horse wasted no time climbing the ladder. By April it had won a top-two race back at Kempton, then in May it landed a Class 1 at Newmarket — one of the most prestigious venues in the country — before topping that with another Class 1 win at Goodwood in July 2024. Two of the biggest stages in British Flat racing, ticked off within three months. Since then, most recently winning at Newbury just five weeks ago, Notable Speech has continued to show it belongs at the very top level.

The Kempton connection is worth noting. Two wins from three races there suggests the horse genuinely loves the place — whether that's the all-weather track, the shape of the course, or something else entirely, some horses simply click with certain venues and Notable Speech is one of them.

In the saddle for all five wins has been William Buick, one of the most respected jockeys in the sport. Together they have won 5 of their 10 races as a partnership — that is exactly one in every two, which is an extraordinary ratio at this level. When Buick is booked, you pay attention.

Behind the operation is trainer Charlie Appleby, whose Newmarket yard has sent out 121 winners already this season. That is not a yard finding its feet — that is a machine. Appleby has a well-earned reputation for placing horses shrewdly and bringing them to their peak at the right moments, and Notable Speech looks like one of the best examples of that. With two wins from six races at Class 1 level — roughly one in every three attempts against the best in the country — this horse has earned its place at the top table.