Saucats

The overall record tells a story of a horse that competes rather than dominates: one win and five places from 20 races, a win rate of just 5%, or roughly one win every 20 attempts. But the places matter. This is not a horse that fades into the background — it keeps finding its way into the frame, which is why the yard have kept running it. Recent form bears that out: in the last six races, Saucats has finished second twice and won once, suggesting something has clicked at just the right time.

What is slightly curious is that the majority of Saucats' racing has come in Class 5 company — the bread-and-butter level of jump racing — and yet it had not managed a single win in eight races at that level before Newton Abbot changed everything. That finally landing one at this tier is not embarrassing; Class 5 fields can be fiercely competitive and unpredictable. But it does suggest this is a horse finding its level rather than one eyeing a step up in class anytime soon.

Jockey Ben Godfrey has been the regular partner, riding Saucats five times without a win between them — though the winning ride at Newton Abbot presumably changes the feel of that partnership going forward. Joe Tickle's yard has been in decent nick this season, sending out 20 winners, so the team around Saucats knows what a winner looks like. With the horse having raced just yesterday, it is clearly being kept busy, and with confidence now banked from that first career victory, it will be interesting to see whether Saucats can go back-to-back or whether Newton Abbot turns out to be a one-off peak. Either way, the wait is over.