Tarbat Ness

The current form is genuinely eye-catching. Look at the last six races — a win, a third, a fifth, a fourth, a sixth, a fourth — and what you see is a horse that dipped slightly in the middle of that run and has come back swinging. The most recent race was just yesterday, and it ended in a win at Carlisle earlier this week, on 4 July 2026. That is the kind of form that makes a trainer smile.

John Berry's yard has sent out 13 winners this season, so they know what they are doing, and they have found a reliable partner for Tarbat Ness in jockey Gina Mangan. Together, the pair have won 4 of their 11 races — that is a win rate of 36%, or roughly 2 in every 5 times they team up. That is a striking number. When Mangan is in the saddle, something clicks.

Ground conditions matter hugely in racing, and Tarbat Ness has a clear preference for anything other than fast, dry ground. On wet or muddy going, the record reads 3 wins from 9 races — 1 in every 3, which is excellent. On normal conditions it is 2 from 8, still strong. The horse seems to find its best when there is some give underfoot, which is worth remembering as the season moves on.

Most of Tarbat Ness's career has been spent at Class 6 level, the lower end of the British racing ladder, with 4 wins from 25 races at that grade. That context matters: this is not a horse chasing glory at the big festivals, but a consistent, durable competitor that earns its keep week after week. First winning at Ffos Las in September 2023, it has since built a solid little career — and with a win just days ago, it is very much not finished yet.