Tees Spirit

What makes Tees Spirit interesting is its clear preference for one type of ground. On normal conditions it absolutely thrives, winning 7 of its 19 races — a rate of roughly 1 in every 3 attempts. That is the kind of specificity that matters; when the going is standard and firm rather than wet or muddy, Tees Spirit has genuine edge. At Class 2 level, where it typically competes, it has won 3 of 16 races, which tells you it belongs in that company but is not dominant. The horse has recorded wins at three different tracks, including two in top races at Sandown and Epsom, which suggests it has genuine class.

Tees Spirit is trained by Adrian Nicholls at Sessay in North Yorkshire and has been most often ridden by Mia Nicholls, with whom it has won 3 races from 14 outings together — a partnership with a 21% win rate. The yard has found eight winners this season, so Nicholls knows how to train a decent horse. At eight years old, Tees Spirit is still competitive and was active as recently as yesterday, which means it remains a runner. The question now is whether it can find that normal ground it loves and rediscover the winning formula that made it such a sharp operator just over two years ago.