A Great Excuse (IRE)
A Great Excuse is 1 from 10 on turf, the win coming in a Class 5 handicap chase at Lingfield over 1m5f – 2m on good to soft in Dec 2025 off an official rating of 97. He has raced eight times since without success. His last run, at Lingfield in Nov 2026, was his first for Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies, where he finished third of seven as the beaten favourite off an official rating of 100. He is usually held up.
- 1–10Wins / Runs
- 10%Strike rate
- 1 (10%)Placed
- −5.00£1 level staken=10 at SP
- 0.75Fair A/E n=10 · 0.66 incl. margin
- 102Highest OR
- 24dBetween runs (median)longest 274 d
A/E compares actual wins with what starting prices implied. "Fair" strips the bookmaker margin from the expectation, so favourites and longshots are judged on the same footing — figures near 1.00 mean the market priced this horse about right.
KTB Speed and Rating
Best recent Speed 111
How fast the horse ran, as points against the day-corrected standard time for its course and distance: 100 is the median GB Class 4 handicap winner on that code; one point is 0.1% of the standard time. A, B or C is how much the day's card could tell us, not how good the run was. What this means →
| Going | Runs | Best | Median | Since 7 Nov 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good to Soft | 4 | 111B | 92 | 2 runs · 111 / 83.5 |
| Soft | 4 | 102B | 87.5 | 2 runs · 75 / 61.5 |
| Good | 1 | — | — | 1 run · — |
| Distance | Runs | Best | Median | Since 7 Nov 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 5 | 100B | 86 | 3 runs · 86 / 75 |
| 1m5f – 2m | 4 | 111B | 94.5 | 2 runs · 111 / 83.5 |
Of 10 runs looked at, 1 has no figure: did not complete (1).
KTB Speed v1 · batch 15 Sep 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 9 figures from 10 runs · as at 7 Nov 2026 · 1 recent figure provisional (may move for 7 days) · a record, not a forecast
Both figures are KTB's own, computed from the archive; no vendor rating enters either. Every run's figure is on its form line below with its grade. Grades measure how much the archive could see, never the merit of the run.
The forward record. KTB’s figures on this horse since 3 Nov 2026: fastest on KTB Speed in 1 run (won 0) · to 3 Nov 2026. Each pick was the figure’s choice before the off, settled against the result the next morning; “did not run” is counted apart. GB and Irish races since 5 Oct 2026.
Run style from 10 analysed runs since Dec 2024
- Held up 6 (60%) · 0 wins
- Led 2 (20%) · 0 wins
- Mid-division 1 (10%) · 0 wins
- Prominent 1 (10%) · 1 win
Pedigree intelligence
Progeny in our archive have won 6.3% of 430 runs since Jun 2020 (61 horses).
Weakest over 1m5f – 2m (all codes): 3.3% from 151.
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good to Firm | 5 | 1 | 20% | +13.7 | — |
| Good | 154 | 11 | 7.1% | +0.8 | 0 from 1 |
| Good to Soft | 97 | 7 | 7.2% | +0.9 | 1 from 4 |
| Soft | 128 | 7 | 5.5% | −0.8 | 0 from 5 |
| Heavy | 46 | 1 | 2.2% | −4.1 | — |
| Distance (all codes) | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6f – 7f | 3 | 0 | 0% | −6.3 | — |
| 1m – 1m1f | 1 | 0 | 0% | −6.3 | — |
| 1m2f – 1m4f | 4 | 0 | 0% | −6.3 | — |
| 1m5f – 2m | 151 | 5 | 3.3% | −3 | 1 from 5 |
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 156 | 8 | 5.1% | −1.2 | 0 from 5 |
| 2m5f – 3m | 98 | 12 | 12.2% | +5.9 | — |
| Over 3m | 17 | 2 | 11.8% | +5.5 | — |
Flat and jumps together (all codes) · since Jun 2020 · as at 7 Nov 2026 · rows under 30 runs muted · win % is the measure, a record not a forecast
No other produce in our archive. It holds racing in Great Britain, Ireland and France from 2005, so siblings racing elsewhere won’t appear here.
Record by conditions
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 5 | 0 | 0% | −5.00 |
| Good to Soft | 4 | 1 | 25% | +1.00 |
| Good | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Class | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 5 | 5 | 1 | 20% | +0.00 |
| Class 4 | 5 | 0 | 0% | −5.00 |
| Course | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingfield | 2 | 1 | 50% | +3.00 |
| Ffos Las | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Wincanton | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Catterick | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Huntingdon | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Taunton | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Wetherby | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Warwick | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Distance | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 5 | 0 | 0% | −5.00 |
| 1m5f – 2m | 5 | 1 | 20% | +0.00 |
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bass | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| Tom Broughton | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| Jamie Brace | 2 | 1 | 50% | +3.00 |
| Liam Harrison | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Headgear | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 5 | 1 | 20% | +0.00 |
| Tongue tie | 4 | 0 | 0% | −4.00 |
| Cheekpieces | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Season | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0% | −4.00 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 20% | +0.00 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Type | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | 6 | 1 | 17% | −1.00 |
| Hurdle | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| NH Flat | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
Splits include every sample, however small — muted rows are under 3 runs. A one-from-one record is a fact, not a trend: read the Runs column before the strike rate.
Form
| Date | Course | Race | Pos | Btn | Wgt | OR | Spd | KTB | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · 4 runs | ||||||||||
| 03 Nov 26+243d | Lingfield | Sky Sports Racing Virgin 512 Handicap Steeple Chase Settled in rear of the front group - sent after the front runner before 2 out - plodded on from before the last to secure third | 3/7 | 4¼ | 11-9 | 100 | 86B | 116A | Jamie Brace | 13/8F |
| 05 Mar 26+24d | Wincanton | Horatio's Garden Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Went in front briefly early - then took second spot - urged forward 4 out - slipped to rear before 3 out - lost touch and faded before 2 out - well held at the finish | 3/4 | 14 | 11-2 | 102 | 56C | 93C | David Bass | 13/2 |
| 09 Feb 26+18d | Catterick | Racing TV Profits Returned To Racing Handicap Chase Settled in the pack early - still holding a share close to the leaders 3 out before being nudged for effort and losing ground - dropped away approaching the last | 3/7 | 27 | 11-11 | 102 | 48B | 101B | David Bass | 4/1 |
| 22 Jan 26+40d | Huntingdon | Pertemps Network Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Settled towards the back - still under no pressure when fell at the 5th | F/6 | — | 11-1 | 102 | — | — | Tom Broughton | 2/1F |
| 2025 · 5 runs | ||||||||||
| 13 Dec 25+24d | Lingfield | Free Tips Daily On attheraces.com Handicap Chase Handy early - stumbled 3rd fence - moved up into third and pressed the pace before three out - needed more approaching last - responded to close and get up close home | 1/8 | 11-8 | 97 | 111B | 123A | Jamie Brace | 4/1 | |
| 19 Nov 25+274d | Ffos Las | tigerbet.co.uk Online Betting Handicap Chase Set the pace early - stretched clear after the 2nd - advantage shrank by the 3rd - lost command before 3 out and stumbled slightly into 2 out - lost touch approaching the last and stayed on for 4th | 4/8 | 7½ | 12-0 | 99 | 75B | 112B | David Bass | 16/5 |
| 18 Feb 25+17d | Taunton | South West Rail Solutions Ltd Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Held up early with steady leap at first fence - settled midfield then made ground into 4th - drifted left approaching following obstacle - lost touch after three out - dropped away before two out - well held at the finish | 5/12 | ½ | 11-6 | — | 97B | 108A | Liam Harrison | 66/1 |
| 01 Feb 25+21d | Wetherby | Wilmot-Smith Memorial Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Held up in rear rank throughout - unable to make ground on leading group - well held at finish | 7/14 | 6 | 11-4 | — | 100B | 109A | Liam Harrison | 125/1 |
| 11 Jan 25+30d | Ffos Las | DragonBet Supporting British Racing Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Settled towards the back early - made some late progress approaching 3 out but unable to threaten leaders - dropped away before 2 out to finish well beaten in 5th | 5/11 | 3½ | 11-1 | — | 102B | 109A | Tom Broughton | 300/1 |
| 2024 · 1 run | ||||||||||
| 12 Dec 24 | Warwick | Wrights Of Campden Open NH Flat Race (GBB Race) Held up at the back fighting the bridle early - already toiling with 5f left - unable to challenge and beaten well into 10th | 10/12 | 1¾ | 10-11 | — | 87A | 102A | Tom Broughton | 150/1 |
Quick answers
- How many races has A Great Excuse won?
- A Great Excuse (IRE) won 1 of 10 archived starts between 2024 and 2026, a strike rate of 10%. Placed 1 time in total (10% of starts).
- Who trains A Great Excuse?
- A Great Excuse (IRE) is trained by Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies, who saddled the horse on its most recent run on 3 November 2026.
- Who is A Great Excuse's sire?
- A Great Excuse (IRE) is by Lucky Speed (IRE) out of Banjo Finn (IRE), whose sire is Fruits Of Love.
- What going does A Great Excuse prefer?
- A Great Excuse (IRE) has the best record on good to soft going: 1 win from 4 starts (25%). Only going bands with at least three archived starts are read, so this is a direction rather than a settled preference.
- What is A Great Excuse's official rating?
- The most recent official rating on record is 100, from the run on 3 November 2026. The highest on record is 102.
- What is A Great Excuse's sire's record?
- Lucky Speed (IRE)'s progeny in our archive have won 6.3% of 430 runs since Jun 2020 (61 horses), Flat and jumps together. Weakest over 1m5f – 2m (all codes): 3.3% from 151.