Sonic Si

Over 16 career races, Sonic Si has won 3 and finished in the places a further 9 times — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 5 races (19%), which tells you he turns up consistently and competes hard even when he does not win. But it is the recent sequence that really catches the eye: in his last six races he has finished third, fourth, third, then first, first, first. That is a horse finding its feet and then hitting top gear at exactly the right moment.

Part of the reason for the upturn may be the ground. On slightly soft conditions, Sonic Si has won 2 of 3 races — that is a 67% record, which in racing terms is extraordinary. Most horses barely change their level depending on the ground; this one seems to come alive in it. His trainer Tony Carroll, based at Cropthorne in Worcestershire, is clearly a man who has found the right conditions for his horse to thrive. Carroll's yard has sent out 136 winners this season alone, so this is not a small operation stumbling onto something by accident.

What makes the story even more charming is that Sonic Si was bought for just 1,000 guineas — roughly £1,050. Carroll has said openly that he thinks the horse could be something, and given the current winning streak, it is hard to argue. The trainer has also been candid about a wind issue that tends to cost the horse in the final stretch of a race, and is planning to have that addressed. A run at Catterick is lined up next, and Carroll has suggested a minor surgical procedure after that. In other words, the team believe there is more to come — and given that this horse is only four and has just discovered how to win, that is not a difficult case to make.