Timurshah

Timurshah won at Clonmel on the 5th of June, then backed it up with another win at Sligo just four days later. Two wins in less than a week. That kind of back-to-back form is rare, and it tells you this is a horse in the form of his life right now. He raced just yesterday, so he is very much in the thick of things.

Over the course of ten races, he has won 2 and placed twice — a win rate of 20%, or roughly one in every five races. That is decent, but what makes it more meaningful is the context in which those wins have come. On normal ground, he has won 2 of his 5 races — a 40% win rate, which is genuinely strong and suggests he is very much a horse who needs conditions to be right under his feet. Put him on wet or muddy ground and the record goes quiet; give him a normal surface and he becomes a different animal entirely.

Distance matters too. Timurshah is at his best over long distances — two miles and beyond — where he has again won 2 of 5 races, that same 40% figure. For a horse that showed little for much of his career, these numbers in his preferred conditions are striking. The longer trip seems to suit his style, giving him time to settle and build into his races rather than being asked to show sharp early speed.

Aidan Melia's yard has sent out just 2 winners this season in total, which means Timurshah accounts for both of them. That is a small operation punching at its ceiling right now, and this horse is the reason why. Whether he can maintain this late-blooming run of form is the question — but for anyone watching, a five-year-old finding his best racing for the first time, winning twice in a week, is one of the more enjoyable stories in sport.