Spirit Of Applause

The horse was first trained to victory at Ripon in September 2022, but the real story lies in where it wins and where it struggles. Put Spirit Of Applause into sprint races—anything under five furlongs—and suddenly the record improves: 1 win from 4 attempts works out at a 25% success rate, a significant jump from its overall 9%. The problem is evident in its regular assignments at Class 4 level, where it has now run 21 times without a single win, suggesting that when faced with stronger competition at that grade, Spirit Of Applause simply lacks the pace or class to finish in front. The horse's best recent form shows a second place two runs ago, with three thirds and a fourth elsewhere, but most worryingly, it has not so much as broken into the winners' enclosure in its last six races.

Tim Easterby's Great Habton yard has been prolific this season with 128 winners, and jockey Sean Kirrane has the best record with the horse, winning 3 of 21 races together—a 14% win rate that is notably higher than Spirit Of Applause's overall return. That partnership may hold the key to any future success, though at this stage Spirit Of Applause looks like a horse best suited to shorter races and lower grades, where it has at least shown it can compete. After a race just yesterday, the horse remains in work, but the form suggests that comebacks, when they come, will need to be carefully planned.