Raffles Nobu

What catches the eye is the geography of his sole success. That win at Newton Abbot seven weeks ago remains his only victory, but it has given Nick Scholfield's Lambourn yard a horse worth backing into races. Recent form shows a horse still finding his feet: a third-place finish just last week tells you he remains sound and competitive, sandwiched between a fifth-place run and a third-place run before that. The dips are there too—a fourth-place just over a fortnight ago—but the pattern suggests a horse capable of meeting the frame on his day. When Raffles Nobu steps up to Class 4 company, the toughest races in his spectrum, the picture flattens: five attempts without a win. It's at the lower levels where he belongs, where his modest but genuine talent gives him a chance.

This is a horse who won't set the racing world ablaze, but he is still a working competitor in Nick Scholfield's yard, which has sent out 22 winners already this season. For the yard and punters alike, Raffles Nobu offers the quiet satisfaction of a horse who turns up, runs his race, and occasionally delivers. He was active just yesterday, and there is nothing in his record to suggest he is done yet.