Split Elevens

What makes Split Elevens interesting is how he operates at his preferred level. In Class 6 races — the lower end of the professional spectrum — he has won eleven of fifty-two outings, a rate of one win in every five races that sits above his overall average. This is not by accident. His trainer, John Butler, who runs his yard from Newmarket, has identified this sweet spot and keeps returning to it, and the strategy is working. John Butler's stable has sent out thirty-nine winners this season, so he knows how to place his horses well. Butler has described Split Elevens as "a bit of a character who tends to hold a bit back for himself," the kind of honest assessment that suggests a trainer who understands his horse's temperament rather than trying to force something that isn't there.

Split Elevens has shown enough recent form to suggest he still has something to offer. He has won two of his last six races, including that Lingfield victory, and carried a four-place finish just before his recent success, which hints at consistency. His current partnership with jockey Darragh Keenan has been modest — one win from nine races — but Split Elevens is not the sort to require a superstar rider. He is a player, a sound bet at his track and his level, still chasing winners in his eighth year.