Zumbi

Zumbi has raced 15 times in his career, winning twice and finishing in the places on 8 other occasions — so he has given his supporters something to cheer in two thirds of his races. His overall win rate sits at 13%, roughly 1 in every 8 races, but that number undersells the full picture. On normal ground, he wins 1 in every 4 races — 2 wins from 8 attempts — and at Cartmel specifically, those same 2 wins have come from 8 visits to the track. That is not coincidence. Some horses simply suit a certain place, its bends, its undulations, the rhythm of the thing, and Cartmel appears to bring the best out of Zumbi in a way that other venues have not quite managed.

His trainer James Moffatt knows the horse well, having watched him develop since his early days when, as Moffatt recalls, Zumbi beat a rival who has since gone on to be a genuinely high-quality horse. That hints at real ability underneath the modest career statistics. There have been physical setbacks along the way — a niggle that made progress stop-start — but Moffatt has spoken warmly about Zumbi's jumping, describing him as a horse who glides over fences as well as any he has trained. That kind of fluency over obstacles is a genuine asset, and it is not something every horse has.

His current form reads 1-2-2-4-4 from his last five completed runs, with a win sandwiched between two placed efforts — a sequence that suggests a horse in decent nick. Regular jockey Charlotte Jones has partnered him in 10 of his 15 races, winning once together, but that partnership clearly suits both of them well enough that Moffatt keeps coming back to it. The yard itself has had a productive season, sending out 11 winners, and Zumbi's latest success at Cartmel is part of that momentum.

At nine, he is not a young horse, but experience counts for something at a tight, quirky track like Cartmel. When the ground is normal and the fences are in front of him, Zumbi knows exactly what he is doing.