Prince Of The Seas

The overall record reads 2 wins and 6 places from 15 races, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 7 or 8 outings. That is modest on paper, but the quality of that Goodwood win matters more than the quantity. Its first win came at Sandown Park in September 2024, so within the space of less than a year, it had won at two of the country's most respected venues. The sweet spot, based on the evidence so far, is a distance of one mile and one or two furlongs — it has won 1 of just 3 races at that trip, which is a genuinely encouraging ratio of 1 in 3.

The honest part of the story is that Prince Of The Seas has not won in six races since that Goodwood success, and the recent form figures of 6-2-3-7-6-8 tell a slightly mixed tale — a placed effort in there, but also some disappointing days. Trainer David O'Meara, who operates a powerful yard in North Yorkshire and has already sent out 101 winners this season alone, has been candid about the process of getting the horse right. A run at Ripon was used as a warm-up, and an experiment with headgear at York did not work out — the horse pulled against the restraint and faded. O'Meara has decided to strip that back, letting the horse race more naturally and find its own rhythm. It is a thoughtful, patient approach from a trainer who clearly has faith in the horse's ability.

Jockey Hector Crouch has partnered Prince Of The Seas six times, winning once — a rate of roughly 1 in 6 — and that Goodwood victory was the high point of their partnership. With the horse racing as recently as yesterday and the yard in fine form, the question is simply whether Prince Of The Seas can recapture what it briefly showed last summer.