Strike

His best performances have come on fast, dry ground, where he has won 4 of 14 races — that is roughly 1 in every 3.5 attempts, a genuinely impressive hit rate that tells you the conditions matter enormously for this horse. Most of his racing has come at Class 5 level, the bread-and-butter end of the sport, where he has claimed 3 of his 23 races at that grade. But the number that stands out is Windsor: 2 wins from just 5 races at the track, a 40% win rate that marks him as a genuine course specialist. For context, most horses go their whole careers without winning twice at the same track. Strike did it by his fifth visit.

His regular partner in the saddle is Rob Hornby, who has ridden him in 20 of his races for 2 wins together — wins that tell at least part of the story of this partnership. The pair have clearly built up a familiarity over time, and Portman's yard at Upper Lambourn has been in fine form this season, sending out 46 winners. It is not a quiet backwater operation.

The honest truth, though, is that Strike has not won for nearly two years, with his last victory coming at Windsor in July 2024. He ran in a race at Newmarket just yesterday — a race he had actually won before — but could only manage a midfield finish, with the watered, softer ground working against him. Portman speaks warmly about the horse, describing him as a genuine character and a joy to have around the yard, and notes that his handicap mark is gradually coming down as he ages, which could nudge him into easier company and give him another shot. A return to Windsor on Saturday is being considered, and if the ground comes up dry, that is precisely the combination — the right track, the right conditions — that has brought out the best in Strike before.