Straight A

The most interesting thread in its career is what happens when it goes to Wolverhampton. Two wins from 9 races at that track — winning roughly 1 in every 4 or 5 visits — is a significantly better record than anywhere else, and it's the kind of thing that makes a horse worth keeping an eye on whenever that course comes up on the card. By contrast, it wins only 8% of the time (2 from 24) at the level it typically competes, which works out to roughly 1 in 12. The Wolverhampton figures tell a different story entirely.

Normal ground conditions also seem to suit — 3 wins from 17 races on a standard surface, or roughly 1 in 6. That's a meaningful improvement on its overall record, and it's worth noting that the combination of Wolverhampton and good ground is where this horse has clearly been at its best.

The partnership with jockey Alistair Rawlinson is the longest-running relationship in the horse's career — 18 races together, 2 wins, an 11% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 9. That's broadly in line with the horse's overall numbers, so no magic formula there, but the familiarity clearly hasn't hurt either. Trainer Michael Appleby, based at Oakham in Rutland, is having a productive season with 73 winners already sent out from his yard — so there's no shortage of confidence in the operation around this horse.

The current form line reads 4-4-2-4-6-2 across its last six races, and there's been no win in that stretch — the most recent came at Wolverhampton back in January 2025, now 14 months ago. It raced just yesterday, so it's very much in active training. If Appleby decides to point it back towards Wolverhampton on a good surface, history says that's when Straight A tends to show up.