Secret Handsheikh

Brighton is where Secret Handsheikh genuinely comes alive. Four wins from 13 races at that track is a remarkable record — that is nearly 1 in every 3 races there, which is extraordinary for a horse that wins just 1 in 10 overall. Racecourses have their own character: Brighton is famously undulating and quirky, and some horses simply click with a track in a way that defies easy explanation. This horse is one of them. If you ever wanted a reason to watch Secret Handsheikh run, check whether the race is at Brighton.

Normal conditions suit the horse best, with 4 wins from 20 races on standard ground — a 20% win rate that is twice the career average. Most of those runs come at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter end of British racing, and the record there is tougher: just 1 win from 29 races at that grade. That gap between what the horse achieves at Brighton and what it manages elsewhere tells its own story.

Darragh Keenan is the jockey who knows this horse best, riding it 12 times and winning twice — roughly 1 in every 6 rides together, well above the overall average. The yard is trained by John Gallagher in Chastleton, Oxfordshire, and it has been a productive season with 8 winners sent out already. The most recent win came at Bath on 16 August 2025, about ten months ago now, so the horse is currently in a run of six races without a victory. Given that Secret Handsheikh raced just yesterday and is clearly still active, another chance is never far away — particularly if that chance comes at Brighton.