Smokeringinthedark

Trained by Nicky Richards at his yard in Greystoke, Cumbria, Smokeringinthedark is part of a genuinely in-form operation. Richards has sent out 33 winners already this season, which is the mark of a trainer whose horses are fit, well-placed, and ready to run. Northern trainers often fly under the radar compared to the big southern outfits, but Richards knows exactly what he's doing, and Smokeringinthedark is a good example of why.

The horse picked up its first career win at Musselburgh back in December 2024, but the more eye-catching result is what happened just this week — a win at Newcastle on 31 March 2026. That's the most recent run, just one day ago, which means this horse is bang in form right now. The recent sequence of 1-5-2-7-2-3 tells an interesting story: aside from that one poor run (the 7th), Smokeringinthedark has been in or around the front of the field almost every time out. Two wins, two seconds, and a third in six races is the kind of consistency that makes a trainer very happy.

The one puzzle worth noting is that Smokeringinthedark has raced four times at Class 3 level — one step below the very top races in Britain — and hasn't won any of them. That's 0 from 4 at that grade. The two wins have come when dropped back slightly in class, which suggests the horse is very good at its level without quite being an elite performer. That's not a criticism — plenty of horses have long, profitable careers finding the right spots, and Richards clearly knows how to place this one.

Regular jockey Danny McMenamin has been in the saddle for 5 of the 8 career races, winning 1 of them — roughly 1 in 5. With the horse in such good form right now, that partnership will be worth watching whenever they line up next.