Ostend

Alastair Ralph trains him out of Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a yard that has sent out 25 winners this season — so this is a yard in form. Ralph has spoken candidly about what a stop-start campaign it has been for Ostend. Wind surgery, foot problems, missed time — the list of setbacks has been long enough to try anyone's patience. But when things have gone right, the horse has shown he belongs. A run behind Jagwar at Bangor last November, in a race Ralph described as very competitive, left the team convinced a big season was coming. It wasn't, quite. But then came Market Rasen in March 2025.

That win — his most recent, now 13 months ago — came on faster, drier ground, with a tongue-tie fitted for the first time, and Ralph was clearly relieved to see the horse he believed he had. "We're pleased to see the horse we thought we had," he said afterwards, and there was the sense of a trainer watching something click back into place. He spoke about keeping Ostend busy to make up for lost time, with a possible trip to Ayr on the radar. At Class 3 level — one step below the very top races in Britain — Ostend has won 1 from 4, a 25% win rate that suggests he is capable at that standard when everything lines up.

His most recent run, just one day ago, saw him finish third at Southwell on his first outing since April — and by Ralph's account it was an encouraging return. Good jumping, a well-judged ride from Toby McCain-Mitchell, and a horse seemingly coming back to himself after a long layoff. Bangor at the end of the month is the next target. For a horse who has spent much of his career being almost-there, the question now is whether the combination of better ground, sorted health issues, and a trainer who clearly believes in him can finally add up to something.