Notimeforchitchat

What makes those Kempton wins even more interesting is the conditions that go with them. Notimeforchitchat has won 3 of its 11 races on wet, muddy ground — a 27% win rate that tells you this is a horse that wakes up when the heavens open. On a soft, testing surface at a track it knows well, it becomes a genuinely different animal. Richard Hughes, the trainer based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, flagged the horse's potential early on. After its first win at Kempton in August 2024, he noted it was a big, physically immature horse — around 16.1 hands, which is sizeable — and one that probably should not have been capable of winning as a young two-year-old. The fact that it did, and did it impressively, suggested there was more to come.

Jockey Finley Marsh has been the regular partner, riding in 10 of the horse's races and winning 2 of them — a 20% win rate together, which is a solid partnership by any measure. Hughes's yard has been in strong form this season, sending out 60 winners, so the operation behind this horse is no small outfit.

The current form, though, is a reality check. Notimeforchitchat has not won in its last 6 races, and recent finishes have been largely mid-field or worse. It raced just yesterday, which tells you it is fit and active, but the results have not been there. It has mostly competed at Class 4 level — a solid middle tier — winning just 1 of 8 races at that grade, which is a modest 12% return. The last win came at Kempton in June 2025, almost a year ago now. The profile of this horse is clear: catch it at Kempton, on soft ground, and it becomes interesting. Anywhere else, it has shown rather less reason to get excited.