Somespring Special

The yard behind her, Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, based in Bilbrook, Somerset, is in fine fettle — 37 winners already this season is the output of a stable firing on all cylinders. Her regular pilot is Ben Godfrey, and the two of them have built a real understanding: four wins from ten races together works out at 40%, meaning he wins 2 in every 5 times he climbs aboard her. That is a partnership worth noting.

Fontwell Park appears to hold a special place in her story — it was where she won for the very first time back in April 2023, and she has gone on to win two of her three races there. When a horse keeps coming back to a track and keeps winning, it tends to mean the layout suits how she moves and jumps, and Fontwell's tight, idiosyncratic circuit clearly brings out the best in her.

Most of her racing has come at Class 4 level — the bread and butter of the sport, one step below the elite — where she has won 4 from 12. But there are hints she can go up a gear. A previous trainer, Anthony Honeyball, was genuinely surprised after she won at Cheltenham, describing it as almost a speculative entry that turned into something rather special. She noted she travelled powerfully, jumped economically, and looked more like a two-mile horse than she expected — high praise at one of the sport's most demanding tracks. She had found the fast ground at Plumpton too sharp beforehand, suggesting she is better when conditions are on the softer side.

Raced just yesterday and still active, Somespring Special is a horse in form, with an established jockey, a confident yard, and a course record at Fontwell that any punter would want on their side.