Solanna

What makes Solanna genuinely interesting is how specific her talents are. She has won 7 of her 24 races over a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs — that middle-distance trip is clearly her sweet spot, long enough for her to stretch out and use her stamina. She also clearly loves wet, muddy ground, winning 5 from 15 races (33%) on those conditions. That is a meaningful preference. When the rain comes and rivals are struggling through the mud, Solanna tends to thrive.

Nowhere is that more obvious than at Kempton Park, where she is something close to a local legend. Five wins from 15 races at that one track is a remarkable record — one in every three visits ends in a win. She made her career debut there in March 2022, and she was back winning there just two weeks ago. That kind of long-running love affair with a particular track is rare, and it tells you the course simply suits how she runs.

Her partnership with jockey Daniel Muscutt is another thread worth pulling. Together they have won 5 of their 13 races — that is better than one win in every three rides, a 38% hit rate that stands well above her overall average of 19%. When Muscutt is in the saddle at Kempton on a wet day over a mile and a half, you would be a brave person to bet against her.

Solanna is trained by John Butler at his Newmarket yard, which has sent out 27 winners already this season — a yard clearly in fine form. She typically races at Class 5 level, which is towards the lower end of the sport's grading system, but that should not diminish what she has achieved. Racing consistently, finishing in the frame time and again, and dominating a track the way she dominates Kempton takes real ability. At seven years old and with a win just a fortnight ago, she shows no sign of slowing down.