Stirrup Cup

The horse also has a clear home track. At Carlisle, it has won two of three races, including a victory four months ago on 8 June. That is the sort of course specialist record that trainers and jockeys remember — horses that run well in one place tend to return there. Stirrup Cup is trained by Tim Easterby at Great Habton in North Yorkshire, a yard sending out winners at a healthy clip this season, and is most often ridden by David Allan, with whom it has won twice from 13 races together. Allan gets a better result on this horse — 15% — than the overall 11%, suggesting he knows how to get the most from it.

The recent form reads 3-3-4-6-11-5, which tells you the horse is not in great shape right now. It has not won in its last six races and was last out just a day ago, finishing third. At Class 5 level — the lower end of British racing — it has won 2 from 10, which is respectable but not consistent. Stirrup Cup is a horse that earns its keep on the right ground at the right track, and right now the window for that has closed. When wet conditions return and it gets back to Carlisle, it will be worth another look.