Shimmering Sands

At seven years old and with 30 races under its belt, Shimmering Sands has a career record of 5 wins and 13 places — meaning it has finished in the top three in well over half its races (18 times from 30, if you're counting). The win rate sits at around 1 in every 6 races, which is solid rather than spectacular, but the recent form tells a more exciting story. Two wins from the last six races is a horse that has rediscovered something. Whatever clicked, it clicked at the right time.

The ground matters here, too. On normal conditions, Shimmering Sands has won 4 of its 9 races — nearly 1 in every 2 — which is a remarkable conversion rate and explains why the Pontefract win this week, on a summer track, felt so predictable to anyone paying attention. That 44% win rate on good ground is the kind of number that makes punters sit up.

The yard behind the horse is Michael and David Easterby, based at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire. With 55 winners sent out already this season, this is clearly a team in form. The regular partner in the saddle is jockey Joanna Mason, who has ridden Shimmering Sands 15 times — though together they've only converted once. That single win from 15 rides is a modest return, and yet here they are, winning races. Sometimes the numbers don't tell the full story of a partnership still finding its best.

Shimmering Sands began this journey on 12 July 2022 at Beverley, and has been competing consistently ever since. Right now, mid-summer, fresh off a win, on a track it loves — this is a horse worth watching.