Salamanca City

The recent form is genuinely eye-catching. Looking at the last six races in order — third, second, sixth, first, second, first — there's a clear upward curve, with that sole blip at sixth sandwiched between a string of podium finishes. Two wins from the last six races is a notable return, and the most recent of those came at Goodwood just this week, suggesting Salamanca City is in the form of its life right now. It's a horse worth watching closely while that momentum lasts.

The partnership with jockey Daniel Muscutt looks like an important piece of the puzzle. In seven races together, they've won twice — that's a win rate of 29%, or almost 1 in every 3 rides. For context, that's well above the horse's overall average, which suggests the two have developed a real understanding. When Muscutt is in the saddle, the results speak for themselves.

James Fanshawe's yard at Newmarket is having a productive season with 44 winners already on the board, and Salamanca City fits the profile of the kind of horse a successful trainer keeps in good order. The horse has done most of its racing at Class 5 level — the everyday bread-and-butter tier of the sport — winning 1 from 9 there, an 11% win rate. That's modest on paper, but its four wins have largely come over distances of 1 mile 3 furlongs to 1 mile 4 furlongs, where it's won 4 from 13 races, a striking 31% win rate. In other words, get it over the right trip and it becomes a serious contender.

Ground conditions don't seem to derail it either — two wins from five races on both normal and slightly soft ground, a 40% win rate on each surface. That versatility is useful: it means a bit of rain on raceday isn't a problem. With a win this week and form pointing in the right direction, Salamanca City looks a horse at the top of its game.