Rocket Rod

Across his whole career — 29 races, 4 wins, 10 places — Rocket Rod has won about 1 in every 7 races overall, a modest return that tells you he is a horse who competes honestly without regularly threatening to win. Most of his racing has come at Class 5, the entry level of British racing, and he has only won once from 17 attempts at that level, which is a fairly hard number to dress up. What does add a layer of interest, though, is what happens when the ground turns soft and wet. On that kind of surface he has won 3 times from just 10 races — 30%, or nearly 1 in every 3 — which is a dramatically better record than he posts on faster ground. When conditions suit him, he is a different horse.

The bad news for Rocket Rod followers is that it has been a long wait since he last showed that side of himself. His most recent win came at Doncaster in June 2023, which is now 36 months ago. His last six results — finishing 3rd, 10th, 4th, 10th, 10th, and 12th reading from most recent backwards — suggest he is currently in a difficult spell, and those double-figure finishes are not encouraging. Sam James, who has ridden him in 16 of his 29 races, has won twice aboard him, roughly 1 in every 8 rides together.

Trainer Geoffrey Harker, based near Thirkleby in North Yorkshire, has sent out 4 winners so far this season, so the yard is ticking over. Rocket Rod raced just yesterday, which means he is still very much an active horse with more chapters to write. Whether another winning one comes along may well depend on finding wet ground and a trip back to Newcastle.