Winchurch

The ground matters enormously with Winchurch. On fast, dry ground, the record reads 2 wins from 6 races — that's 1 in every 3, which is a completely different horse to the one that struggles when conditions turn against it. Any time the forecast is dry, Winchurch becomes worth a second look.

At the level where Winchurch competes most often — Class 5, the bread-and-butter tier of the racing calendar — the record is 3 wins from 11 races, winning just over 1 in 4. That's a genuinely strong conversion rate at that level, and it tells you this is a horse competing in the right grade rather than punching above its weight.

The partnership with jockey Alistair Rawlinson is one of the more compelling threads in the story. Together they've raced 13 times and won 3 of them — that's 23%, or almost 1 in every 4 rides. When Rawlinson is booked, Winchurch has historically meant business. The horse's journey started at Southwell back in April 2024 and most recently ended in a win at Nottingham just five weeks ago — so this is not a horse living off past glories. Recent form of 6-1-4-3-5-7 shows a winner in there and enough placed efforts to suggest consistent competitiveness.

Behind the scenes, trainer Michael Appleby runs a busy and productive yard in Oakham, Rutland, and the numbers back that up — 79 winners sent out already this season. Appleby is the kind of trainer who knows exactly what his horses are, finds the right races for them, and keeps them active. Winchurch raced just one day ago, which says everything about how the team keeps this horse ticking. Not a star, not a headline act — but a horse that turns up, knows its job, and wins it more often than most.