Samuel Spade

The most revealing number in his record is what happens on normal ground: 5 wins from 16 races, or nearly 1 in every 3. That is a meaningful pattern. When conditions suit him he is a genuinely different horse, and it squares with what his trainer has said publicly — that he can be an enigma, brilliant when things click but difficult when they don't. Jockey Beau Morgan put it well after a win at Huntingdon: the horse hit a few jumps through the back, got into bad habits, then suddenly found his rhythm among horses and took off entirely. That is Samuel Spade in a nutshell.

Huntingdon is worth highlighting specifically. Two wins from just 3 races there is a remarkable record — most horses spend careers trying to win once at a track. Whatever it is about that course, the layout, the bends, the crowd, something clearly works in his favour. His biggest career win came at Kempton Park on Boxing Day week 2022, a Class 2 race, which puts him in the top tier of British racing at his best. His most recent victory came at Worcester just five weeks ago, so he is not a horse living off old memories.

Ben Pauling has spoken about possibly taking him to Punchestown — Ireland's famous festival track — for the experience and opportunity, while also flagging Haydock as a likely next port of call. Ben Jones, who rides him most often, has won 1 from their 7 races together. That is a modest 14% win rate, but when Pauling praised Jones after one recent performance — crediting him for finding gaps, nicking ground in the right places, and producing the horse at exactly the right moment — it is clear the partnership has its moments. Samuel Spade at his best, the trainer says, is really good. The trick is catching him on one of those days.