Straight A

Two of its four career victories have arrived at Wolverhampton, from nine attempts there. That is a win rate of 22%, or nearly 1 in every 4 races at that particular track. For context, its overall win rate is around 11% — so Wolverhampton almost doubles its chances. That kind of affinity for a single venue is not a coincidence; some horses simply suit a track's shape, surface, or pace of races, and Straight A appears to be one of them. The most recent of those Wolverhampton wins came on 25 January 2025, so that well has not run dry yet.

Normal ground conditions are where it finds its best form — three wins from 17 races on a standard surface (18%, or close to 1 in every 5 races). On paper, those conditions have consistently brought out the best in it, which is worth noting for anyone watching its next run. It has not won in its last six races, with its recent form reading 4-5-2-2-4-4 — a run of placed efforts and near-misses rather than anything dramatic. The two second-place finishes in that sequence suggest it is still competing at the right level, even if the win column has stayed stubbornly empty.

Jockey Alistair Rawlinson has been the regular partner, riding in 22 of Straight A's 38 races together and winning twice — a win rate of around 9%, or roughly 1 in 11. It is a steady partnership rather than a sparkling one. The trainer is Michael Appleby, whose yard in Oakham, Rutland, has been in fine form this season — 71 winners sent out already, which speaks to a busy, well-organised operation. Most of Straight A's races have come at Class 5 level, the everyday bread-and-butter tier of the sport, and with £74,000 in career earnings it has been a consistent, if unspectacular, contributor to the yard.

The pattern here is clear enough: watch for Straight A when it returns to Wolverhampton on normal ground. That is when it has its best chance of ending that six-race winless run.