Teed Up

The numbers show a horse in the twilight of his racing life. He has not won in his last six races, though he has placed three times in that run, most recently finishing third just yesterday. His overall record of 4 wins and 11 places from 37 races speaks to a solid, useful campaigner — the kind of horse that pays his way but never quite becomes a star. Career earnings of around that level typically mean he has lived most of his life in lower-grade races, grinding out days on the racecourse with the occasional payoff to keep the yard interested.

But there are two factors that make Teed Up worth watching for the right race. First, jockey Conor Clarke has ridden him six times and won twice — a 33 percent win rate that is more than triple his overall average. Second, and more intriguingly, Teed Up absolutely thrives on wet ground. He has won 2 of his 7 races on soft or muddy surfaces, a 29 percent win rate that jumps out from his dismal record on normal or dry ground elsewhere. Put him at Galway when the heavens have opened, with Clarke in the saddle, and you have a horse that knows exactly where he is and what to do. For a nine-year-old still racing hard and still capable of a place finish as recently as yesterday, that is exactly the kind of angle that keeps a horse in training.