The Thames Boatman

The numbers get even more interesting when you look at where and how he wins. On normal ground — not too wet, not too dry — he has won 7 from 26 races, which works out to roughly 1 in every 4 starts. Change the conditions and that edge disappears. He is a horse that knows what he likes, and when he gets it, he delivers.

Then there is Lingfield Park, his personal happy hunting ground. Four wins from 14 races at that one track is a remarkable record — it means he has won more than 1 in every 4 times he has turned up there. His most recent win came at Lingfield just three months ago, in January 2026, confirming this is no fluke of memory. Some horses simply take to a particular track — the layout, the surface, the way the bends fall — and Lingfield brings out the best in The Thames Boatman in a way that is hard to argue with.

Jockey Finley Marsh has been the man in the saddle for much of this partnership, riding him in 26 of his races and winning 5 of them — a win rate of roughly 1 in 5. That is noticeably better than his overall career average, which suggests the two have developed something of an understanding. Trainer Richard Hughes, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, has had a productive season with 65 winners from his yard, and The Thames Boatman has been a reliable part of that picture.

His recent form tells an honest story: his last six runs read 9-2-6-4-1-2, meaning he has not always been setting the world alight, but that win — just one run back — confirms there is still plenty to come. For a horse who only broke his career duck at Wolverhampton in October 2022, he has built a record that any trainer would be pleased with.