Raffles Nobu

The overall record — one win and four places from 16 races — tells the story of a horse that has shown up consistently without quite getting the job done. In percentage terms that's a win rate of around 6%, or roughly one win in every 16 races, which is modest. But those four placed finishes show Raffles Nobu has been competitive; this isn't a horse that has been struggling at the back of the field. It has been close, repeatedly, and now it has the result to show for it.

The recent form makes that clearest. Reading the last six races from most recent backwards — win, second, fourth, third — that's a horse that has been improving and finding its level. A win followed by a second suggests the Newton Abbot victory wasn't a fluke. Whatever clicked there, it clicked properly.

At Class 4 level — solid, competitive racing without being at the very top end of the sport — Raffles Nobu had drawn a blank across five attempts before this week's breakthrough. That makes the win all the more satisfying as a marker of progress rather than just a lucky day out. Nick Scholfield's yard has sent out 22 winners this season, so this is a team that knows how to get a horse ready to perform, and Raffles Nobu appears to be coming good at exactly the right moment.