Close Combat (IRE)
Close Combat is a gelding who has won one of eight starts on turf, the success coming in a Class 4 novices hurdle at Exeter over 1m5f to 2m on heavy ground in Feb 2025. He has raced three times at Exeter for one win and twice at Chepstow without success. His last run, at Ffos Las in Mar 2026, saw him finish eighth of eight in a Class 4 handicap off an official rating of 106.
- 1–8Wins / Runs
- 12.5%Strike rate
- 2 (25%)Placed
- +5.00£1 level staken=8 at SP
- 2.48Fair A/E n=8 · 2.11 incl. margin
- 113Highest OR
- 73dAvg between runs
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 97
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 18 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 2 | 97B | 77.5 | 1 · — |
| Heavy | 2 | 95A | 85 | — |
| Good to Soft | 1 | — | — | — |
| Distance | Runs | Best | Median | Since 18 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1m5f – 2m | 4 | 126A | 96 | — |
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 1 | — | — | 1 · — |
Of 8 runs looked at, 3 have no figure: obstacles omitted — the race ran a shortened course (2) · did not complete (1).
KTB Speed v1 · batch 15 Sep 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 5 figures from 8 runs · as at 3 Oct 2026 · 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.
Pedigree intelligence
Progeny in our archive have won 7.7% of 1,092 runs since Jan 2008 (97 horses).
Strongest on good to soft going: 14.2% from 106.
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firm | 7 | 0 | 0% | −7.7 | — |
| Good to Firm | 142 | 12 | 8.5% | +0.8 | — |
| Good | 272 | 20 | 7.4% | −0.3 | — |
| Good to Soft | 106 | 15 | 14.2% | +6.5 | 0 from 2 |
| Soft | 138 | 13 | 9.4% | +1.7 | 0 from 4 |
| Heavy | 45 | 1 | 2.2% | −5.5 | 1 from 2 |
| Standard (AW) | 382 | 23 | 6% | −1.7 | — |
| Distance (all codes) | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 6f | 157 | 12 | 7.6% | −0.1 | — |
| 6f – 7f | 465 | 27 | 5.8% | −1.9 | — |
| 1m – 1m1f | 236 | 24 | 10.2% | +2.5 | — |
| 1m2f – 1m4f | 130 | 10 | 7.7% | 0 | — |
| 1m5f – 2m | 62 | 8 | 12.9% | +5.2 | 1 from 6 |
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 37 | 3 | 8.1% | +0.4 | 0 from 2 |
| 2m5f – 3m | 5 | 0 | 0% | −7.7 | — |
Flat and jumps together (all codes) · since Jan 2008 · as at 18 Oct 2026 · rows under 30 runs muted · win % is the measure, a record not a forecast
6 siblings in the archive, 1 winner — best of them Sweet Madness (IRE) (2 wins).
The wins came over 1m–1m½f; the highest grade won is Class 5 (Sweet Madness (IRE)).
| Produce | Runs | Wins | Win trips | Best grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Madness (IRE) | 12 | 2 | 1m–1m½f | Class 5 |
| Glinbury (IRE) | 10 | 0 | — | — |
| Naifah (IRE) | 4 | 0 | — | — |
| Some Picture (IRE) | 8 | 0 | — | — |
| Elementary Charge (IRE) | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| Zeebullet (IRE) | 2 | 0 | — | — |
Record by conditions
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 4 | 0 | 0% | −4.00 |
| Good to Soft | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Heavy | 2 | 1 | 50% | +11.00 |
| Class | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 4 | 7 | 1 | 14% | +6.00 |
| Class 5 | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Course | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter | 3 | 1 | 33% | +10.00 |
| Chepstow | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Ffos Las | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Newbury | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Leicester | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Distance | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1m5f – 2m | 6 | 1 | 17% | +7.00 |
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Noonan | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| Bryan Carver | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Murray Dodd | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| James Davies | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Lorcan Murtagh | 1 | 1 | 100% | +12.00 |
| Season | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 20% | +8.00 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Type | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurdle | 7 | 1 | 14% | +6.00 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 26+27d | Ffos Las | Blackmores Handicap Hurdle Settled in the pack early - urged forward before 3 out - dropped right away from 2 out - finished last of the field | 8/8 | 8½ | 11-10 | 106 | 58C | 90C | Bryan Carver | 12/1 |
| 17 Feb 26+52d | Newbury | Finli Live Your Best Financial Life Handicap Hurdle Well placed early - slipped into the pack by 3rd before being driven and toiling 4 out - eased and withdrawn before the following fence | PU/12 | — | 11-6 | 109 | — | — | Murray Dodd | 8/1 |
| 27 Dec 25+27d | Chepstow | Coral 'Daily Rewards Shaker' Handicap Hurdle Held mid-division early - clipped the first fence - pushed along with 4f left - dropped away 2f out and continued at an unchanged effort to the line - finished 7th | 7/13 | 3¼ | 11-10 | 111 | — | 119A | James Davies | 25/1 |
| 30 Nov 25+282d | Leicester | Grace And Dotty Country Clothing Handicap Hurdle Settled just off the pace - pushed along approaching 3 out - unable to make further headway - eventually beaten well into 7th | 7/8 | 3¾ | 12-0 | 113 | — | 107A | Bryan Carver | 11/1 |
| 21 Feb 25+24d | Exeter | South West Rail Solutions Ltd Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race) Held up at the back early - made ground into contention before 4 out - up into third at the home turn - hit the third-last - driven into contest with the leading duo approaching the last - kept on strongly to score on the run-in | 1/7 | 10-7 | — | 95A | 127B | Lorcan Murtagh | 12/1 | |
| 28 Jan 25+15d | Chepstow | Bet Personal Bet Fitzdares / EBF Junior 'National Hunt' Hurdle (GBB Race) Settled in 4th early - up to 3rd at the bend - pushed into 2nd after the second-last - kept on to the line but no match for the winner | 2/6 | 2½ | 11-0 | — | 75A | 113B | David Noonan | 14/1 |
| 13 Jan 25+83d | Exeter | Dr Peter Hennis 'National Hunt' Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Settled towards the back of the pack - blundered at the opening fence - driven from the 4th but unable to close - well held for the remainder - finished sixth | 6/14 | ¾ | 10-9 | — | 97B | 91A | David Noonan | 150/1 |
| 22 Oct 24 | Exeter | South West '3 Yrs Old' 'Junior' NH Flat Race (GBB Race) Settled towards the back - began losing touch with 7f left - nudged into gears late but never threatened - finished well beaten in 7th | 7/12 | 1½ | 11-0 | — | 126A | 112A | David Noonan | 66/1 |
Quick answers
- How many races has Close Combat (IRE) won?
- Close Combat (IRE) won 1 of 8 archived starts between 2024 and 2026, a strike rate of 12.5%. Placed 2 times in total (25% of starts).
- Who trains Close Combat (IRE)?
- Close Combat (IRE) is trained by Nigel Hawke, who saddled the horse on its most recent run on 16 March 2026.
- Who is Close Combat (IRE)'s sire?
- Close Combat (IRE) is by Kessaar (IRE) out of Windy Lane (GB), whose sire is Dubai Destination.
- What is Close Combat (IRE)'s official rating?
- The most recent official rating on record is 106, from the run on 16 March 2026. The highest on record is 113.
- What is Close Combat (IRE)'s sire's record?
- Kessaar (IRE)'s progeny in our archive have won 7.7% of 1,092 runs since Jan 2008 (97 horses), Flat and jumps together. Strongest on good to soft going: 14.2% from 106.
- Who are Close Combat (IRE)'s siblings?
- Out of Windy Lane (GB), Close Combat (IRE) has 6 other produce in our archive, 1 of them a winner. Most wins: Sweet Madness (IRE) (2). Highest grade won: Class 5 (Sweet Madness (IRE)). The wins came over 1m–1m½f. As at Oct 2026.