Symbol Of Hope

The eight-year-old is trained by Grace Harris at her yard in Shirenewton, Gwent — an operation that has been in fine form, sending out 31 winners already this season. The jockey pairing that has worked best is with Ray Dawson, who has ridden Symbol Of Hope to 5 of those 7 wins from just 13 races together. That translates to a win rate of 38% — or roughly winning 2 in every 5 times they race as a team — which is a remarkable number at any level of the sport. When those two line up together, the record says take notice.

Ground conditions matter here too. Symbol Of Hope has won 2 of its 8 races on fast, dry ground — a 25% win rate — which is well above its overall career average of roughly 1 win in every 10 races. That overall figure reflects the reality of competing mainly at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, where the competition is consistent and wins are hard-earned. Six of Symbol Of Hope's seven victories have come at that level, from 39 races — a 15% win rate, or about 1 in every 6 and a half races.

The recent run of form is the one note of caution. Symbol Of Hope has not won in its last six races, with finishes of 7th, 12th, 3rd, 8th, 4th, and 3rd — showing placings but not converting. The last win came at Bath in August 2024, now 24 months ago. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly still active and still competing. But for a horse whose entire identity is built around one track, the next visit to Bath will be worth watching closely.