Vaguely Royal

His recent form has been genuinely encouraging. He won at York just this week, and before that picked up another victory at Wolverhampton on the all-weather back in December — a Class 2 race, which ranks among the stronger contests he encounters. Over his last six races, he has recorded two wins and three third-place finishes, suggesting he is racing consistently well and capable of finishing in the frame more often than not. When Kieran Shoemark is in the saddle, the horse performs noticeably better, winning 2 of their 8 races together, a win rate of roughly one in four.

Ian Williams, based at Portway in Worcestershire, has trained Vaguely Royal throughout his career and has built a powerful yard — 96 winners sent out this season alone. Williams clearly understands what this horse needs: the longer trip suits him far better than anything shorter, and the evidence suggests Vaguely Royal is a genuine stayer rather than a sprinter. For a 6-year-old still winning at the level he competes at, and with recent form as solid as this, he remains a useful horse in the right race.