Up The Agenda

What makes that stand out is contrast. Across Class 5 races—the lower tier of competitive racing—Up The Agenda has won 4 of 6 starts, a success rate of two-thirds. Strip away those easier races and you are left with a horse that struggles at higher levels, which is honest assessment rather than criticism. Plenty of racehorses find their level and perform reliably within it. Jack Morland's Newmarket yard has kept the horse active and competitive, and the recent form—a win just over a month ago at Kempton Park on 19 January—shows Up The Agenda has not disappeared. The last six races tell a pattern of occasional spark: a win on the first run back, then a trough of mid-field finishes before another fourth-place just days ago. The horse was out again yesterday, so the yard are keeping the momentum going.

At three years old, Up The Agenda is still young enough to develop, though the eight-month gap between that Kempton win and the current campaign suggests the yard takes a measured approach to racing. For anyone new to the sport, this is the kind of horse that makes racing interesting without being flashy—a specialist in its niche, worth following at Newcastle, reliable at Class 5, and clearly still in the mix for his trainer.