Shazani

His breakthrough came at Hamilton Park on 19 June 2024, and he has since found the winning post again at Beverley just five weeks ago, suggesting he is genuinely improving rather than merely lucky. Roy Bowring's yard at Edwinstowe in Nottinghamshire is not one of the headline operations, but the trainer has had five winners this season and clearly knows how to place his horses wisely. On fast, dry ground Shazani is noticeably better — he has won two of seven races on firm conditions, a rate of nearly 30 percent — so track and weather matter greatly to his chances. At Doncaster he has two wins from ten races, making that track a genuine stronghold where his running record is measurably better than his overall form.

The one puzzling note is his partnership with regular jockey Alistair Rawlinson, who has ridden him seven times without a win. It is a reminder that even modest horses can be sensitive to who is in the saddle, or that timing and circumstances have simply not aligned. For a horse earning at this level — competing mainly in Class 4 races where he has won just one of nine — Shazani represents a working professional rather than an exciting prospect, but recent form suggests he has more to offer than his bare statistics suggest.