Supreme King

The short distances are clearly where Supreme King belongs. Over five to six-and-a-half furlongs, he has won 8 of 35 races — that is nearly 1 in every 4, which is a meaningfully better record than his overall numbers suggest. Strip away the races run at trips that don't suit him and you start to see a horse that genuinely knows what it's doing when the distance is right. He is a sprinter through and through, and his the yard have largely worked that out.

What makes him particularly interesting is how he goes on wet ground. On soft or muddy tracks, he has won 3 from 12 — 25%, or 1 in every 4 races. That is a significant edge. Plenty of horses tolerate soft ground; Supreme King actually seems to thrive on it. When the rain comes, his name is worth noting.

His recent form is the most encouraging part of his profile right now. Going back through his last six races, the sequence reads: fifth, fifth, then four consecutive runs of first, second, second, second. That is a horse that has come back into form sharply and is running consistently well. He won at Salisbury just five weeks ago and raced again only yesterday, so he is clearly in a busy spell and holding his condition well. Most of his races come at Class 4 level — the solid mid-tier of British racing — where his win rate of 9% (3 from 33) is actually a little below his overall average, suggesting he is competitive without always being the best horse in the field at that level.

David Evans has had a productive season with 37 winners, and Supreme King, in good form and seemingly on the upgrade, looks like a horse that could add to that tally soon.