Pride Of Nepal

The most striking recent result came at Ripon just four weeks ago — the latest in a sequence that suggests this horse has hit a real purple patch at exactly the right time of year. Across a career stretching back to a first win at Goodwood in June 2022, Pride Of Nepal has shown a clear preference for decent ground. Whether conditions are dry and fast or simply normal, the numbers are almost identical — 4 wins from 16 races on each surface, a win rate of 25% on both. That consistency across conditions is actually more useful than a horse that only fires on one type of ground, because it means the team can keep running without waiting for the weather to cooperate.

That Goodwood record is also worth noting. Two wins from just 6 races there puts the win rate at 1 in 3, which at a track as quirky and technically demanding as Goodwood is genuinely impressive. The undulating course with its famous camber catches plenty of horses out — Goodwood winners tend to be horses that genuinely handle the place rather than ones that simply blunder their way through.

Tony Carroll's yard at Cropthorne has been in serious form this season, sending out 136 winners — the kind of output that tells you this is not a small operation having a lucky run, but a trainer consistently placing horses well and getting results. Pride Of Nepal typically competes at Class 5, a level below the top races, winning 4 of 18 there — roughly 1 in every 4 and a half races. The regular partnership with jockey Miss Sarah Bowen shows 2 wins from 16 races together, but given the horse's recent surge, that number may be about to look very different very soon.