1:42 Cartmel
This Class 4 maiden hurdle at Cartmel over 2m1f46y on good ground features a field of nine with limited established form and several horses stepping up or down in trip. The KTB Fit Scores are tightly bunched at the top, headed by Scopic on 57, with Destination Unkown just behind on 56, reflecting modest overall ability across the principals and a race where unexposed runners and yard strength at the venue will matter. With the pace shape unclear due to insufficient run-style evidence, the contest poses questions about which horse can improve markedly on what it has shown so far.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is unclear with low confidence, as there is not enough run-style information across the field to form a reliable picture of how the race will unfold. Order Another One is the only horse noted as usually held up and producing its effort late, though that assessment comes with limited evidence. The key question is whether the race develops into a test of stamina at this trip or if one of the less exposed types can quicken off a steady gallop, particularly with several runners unproven or stepping up in distance.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Scopic KTB Selection57/100Scopic has shown very little in three runs to date and was pulled up on his most recent start.
- 2Destination Unkown56/100Destination Unknown arrives off two pulled-up efforts and has shown very little in eight starts.
- 3Kind Of Kiss53/100Kind Of Kiss has been busy this year and steps up markedly in trip as a first-time hooded 5-year-old.
- 4Speed For Fun51/100Speed For Fun is lightly raced with just four career starts and a recent fall.
- 5Gambino51/100Gambino showed fair form when third on debut over shorter and has had just the one run since.
- 6Order Another One51/100Order Another One has shown little in two runs here and is now fitted with first-time headgear after a modest 7th on his latest start.
- 7Masekela47/100Masekela has shown modest form of late with a pair of placed efforts from his last two starts but remains a fairly exposed 7-year-old with 37 career runs.
- 8Steps In Time46/100Steps In Time arrives with a patchy recent record of 6P and has failed to place from four starts on good ground.
- 9Manhatane43/100Manhatane has shown very little in two Cartmel runs this year, finishing fifth and sixth without looking a threat.
The contenders
Scopic KTB Fit 57/100
Scopic has shown very little in three runs to date and was pulled up on his most recent start. The step up in trip today asks a fresh question of a horse who has achieved little at shorter. Trainer Ben Haslam has a solid 19% strike rate from 154 runs at Cartmel while data confidence remains low given the small sample. Richie McLernon takes the ride with the pair boasting a combined trainer and jockey record of 91/641 (14%) with an A/E of 1.16 and +£100.61 LSP. He is dropping in class and has three runs on good ground without a win or place, with no course form on record. Overall this remains a modest profile but the yard's local record adds some interest.
Destination Unkown KTB Fit 56/100
Destination Unkown arrives off two pulled-up efforts and has shown very little in eight starts. The drop back to 2m1f looks a logical move but he is 0-3 on good ground and has never placed. Trainer Michael Chapman has a 10% strike rate from 408 runs at Cartmel while James Best is aboard for the first time here. Their combined record reads 1/17 (6%) with an A/E of 3.54 and +£64.00 LSP. With no course form on record and three runs on good without a win or place, this is a horse with plenty to prove on all known evidence despite the fitting return to shorter.
Kind Of Kiss KTB Fit 53/100
Kind Of Kiss has been busy this year and steps up markedly in trip as a first-time hooded 5-year-old. The yard knows its way around Cartmel with a solid 19 percent strike rate from 129 runs but this one is 0-3 on good ground and showed little at shorter distances. It remains basically unexposed at this new range yet the lack of placed form on today's surface leaves plenty to prove. Jonathan England rides for Sam England with their record at 167/1279 (13%) and an A/E of 0.91. First-time headgear is applied in a bid to spark improvement on this good ground at a venue where both trainer and jockey have respectable records.
Speed For Fun KTB Fit 51/100
Speed For Fun is lightly raced with just four career starts and a recent fall. The drop back in trip today asks a fresh question of this five-year-old. Data confidence is low so read with caution. W P Mullins sends him over with a formidable overall record of 23% from 2849 runs though there is no Cartmel record, while Mr P W Mullins is in the saddle with a neutral score at the track. He is unproven on good ground having had no previous runs on it, and with no course form this remains very much an unknown quantity despite the powerful yard.
The rest of the field
GambinoKTB Fit 51/100
Gambino showed fair form when third on debut over shorter and has had just the one run since. He steps up markedly in trip today which asks a fresh question of him. The Skelton yard has a solid 19% strike rate at Cartmel from 27 runs, with Harry Skelton riding and the pair holding a 22% strike rate overall.
Order Another OneKTB Fit 51/100
Order Another One has shown little in two runs here and is now fitted with first-time headgear after a modest 7th on his latest start. He drops back in trip having been well held over further last time. The yard has a solid 16% strike rate at Cartmel from a big sample but this remains a very lightly raced horse with limited overall evidence to go on, usually held up.
MasekelaKTB Fit 47/100
Masekela has shown modest form of late with a pair of placed efforts from his last two starts but remains a fairly exposed 7-year-old with 37 career runs. He has a single visit to Cartmel which produced a third and is 1-10 on good ground. Trainer James Moffatt operates at a 12% strike rate here from 722 runs while Brian Hughes takes the ride.
Steps In TimeKTB Fit 46/100
Steps In Time arrives with a patchy recent record of 6P and has failed to place from four starts on good ground. The step up in trip poses a fresh question while the switch to Cartmel is neutral given the yard's steady 11 percent strike rate from 73 runs here. Medium confidence data leaves the overall picture unresolved.
ManhataneKTB Fit 43/100
Manhatane has shown very little in two Cartmel runs this year, finishing fifth and sixth without looking a threat. Dropping back in trip today asks a fresh question of a horse whose recent form figures of 4-P56 already suggest modest ability at best. The trainer has a solid 12% strike rate here from a huge sample but this one remains low-confidence given the small amount of evidence.
KTB verdict
This looks a modest maiden in which several runners have questions to answer either over the trip, on the ground or on the balance of their form. Scopic is named the KTB Selection as the top-rated on Fit at 57, with the yard's strong 19% strike rate at Cartmel from 154 runs offering the most positive local angle despite his limited achievements so far. The main dangers are likely to come from Gambino, who showed fair form on debut, and the first-time hooded Kind Of Kiss who steps up in trip having been busy, while the powerful Mullins team with Speed For Fun cannot be entirely dismissed despite the lack of Cartmel form and unproven ground.
KTB Selection Scopic
This is the narrative read of the 1:42 Cartmel. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Cartmel racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the strongest Cartmel trainer record among the principals?
Both Scopic via Ben Haslam and Kind Of Kiss via Sam England have a 19% strike rate at Cartmel, with Haslam at 1.28 A/E from 154 runs and England at 1.12 A/E from 129 runs.
How many of the principals are unproven on good ground?
Four of the principals — Scopic, Destination Unkown, Kind Of Kiss and Speed For Fun — have either no wins or places on good or are completely unproven on the surface.
Which runner is the only one noted with a specific run-style?
Order Another One is described as usually held up and producing its effort late, though with limited evidence and low confidence.
What is the combined trainer and jockey strike rate for the KTB Selection's connections at Cartmel?
Ben Haslam has a 19% strike rate at Cartmel with an A/E of 1.28, while Richie McLernon has an 18% strike rate with an A/E of 1.33.
Which horse is dropping back in trip after being well held over further?
Order Another One drops back in trip having been well held over further last time, with recent form figures of 44-175.
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