Riskintheground

The horse's recent form tells a story of selective targeting. Last season, Riskintheground won a Class 1 race at Cheltenham in April and claimed a Class 2 victory at Ayr on the same week. Yet at the highest level — competing regularly in Class 1 races — he has managed just 1 win from 11 attempts, a modest 9% success rate. This gap between his overall form and his performance at the top table matters. Skelton has been explicit about the strategy: the horse is experienced enough to hold his own in prestigious company, but the trainer acknowledges the handicapper rates him accordingly. The goal, it seems, is to find the right race at the right time rather than chase unrealistic targets.

What stands out most is Riskintheground's love of spring ground. After nearly being brought down at the last fence in a Cheltenham Festival race, he bounced back with a win, and Skelton observed that the horse genuinely thrives when the ground is fast and the season is turning. He is not, by the trainer's own admission, a horse that explodes into action at the winning post — he does "just enough" — but his recent run of 2 wins from his last 6 races shows he remains competitive. At nine years old and fresh from a Perth victory four months ago, Riskintheground is still an active, reliable performer in the hands of a trainer whose yard has sent out 198 winners this season alone.