Tripoli Flyer

Kempton Park is where Tripoli Flyer seems to genuinely come alive. He has won 2 of his 4 races there, which is the kind of record that makes trainers and jockeys grin when the entry comes up. His biggest win to date came at Kempton in February 2025, when he landed a Class 1 — one of the top races in Britain — and his trainer Fergal O'Brien was unambiguous afterwards about what he'd just seen. O'Brien described him as having "a huge engine" and said jockey Jonathan Burke felt he could be placed anywhere in the race before unleashing a sudden burst of speed at the right moment. That combination — tactical flexibility and a finishing kick — is exactly what you want at the highest level.

The ground matters too. On wet or muddy ground, Tripoli Flyer has won 2 of just 3 races, a 67% record that is extraordinary. On slightly soft ground, he has taken 2 from 5. Put simply, when the ground is anything less than fast and dry, this horse becomes a serious problem for his rivals. O'Brien has noted that he believes the horse goes better turning right-handed, and given that Kempton's track does exactly that, the course record makes complete sense.

Jonathan Burke has ridden him in 9 of his 19 races and won 3 of them — roughly 1 in every 3 — which is an excellent partnership ratio and one that suggests the pair have developed a real understanding. O'Brien's yard, based in Gloucestershire, has sent out 90 winners this season alone, so Tripoli Flyer is thriving in busy, ambitious hands. With a Cheltenham entry still on the table and a trainer openly saying he has "earned his chance," this is a horse whose story is far from finished.