Tommie Beau

Fakenham is his spiritual home. He has won 3 of his 6 races there, most recently this week—an 31 August victory that reclaimed a trophy the yard had won four years earlier. His trainer, speaking after that win, described Tommie Beau as exceptional, a horse that had carried the stable through personal hardship. Over the past two years, both trainer and owners have recovered from cancer, and the horse's consistent presence at the yard had been a source of real meaning. It is rare to hear that kind of emotional truth in racing, and it speaks to something beyond mere statistics: a horse that gives.

His most recent form shows a horse still capable. Two wins in his last six races, including a Class 2 victory at Cartmel just days ago, suggest he remains competitive at a decent level. Michael Nolan, his regular jockey, has partnered him 29 times, winning 8—the same 28 percent win rate as the horse's overall record, an easy partnership. The trainer has entered him in the Glenfarclas Chase at Cheltenham this Saturday and is preparing him with schooling over cross-country obstacles. It is an ambitious target, but for a horse that has already run at Cheltenham and shown liking for jumps and banks, it represents one last serious crack at the big stage.