2:40 Catterick
A competitive Class 4 handicap over the extended five furlongs at Catterick on soft ground brings together eight runners, several of whom have shown fair form at this trip. The KTB Fit scores are tightly bunched at the top, with Belsito heading the numbers on 60, closely followed by Aberama Gold and Miraculous on 54 and Manila Scouse on 53. With a genuinely-run pace shape expected, the ability to race prominently on testing ground looks set to be important.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is genuinely run with high confidence, featuring a front-runner likely to be pressed by several handy types. Quercus is the obvious leader from draw 2, with prominent racers Belsito, Aberama Gold and Marching Mac all poised to apply pressure from on or near the pace. This sets up a fair test where those held up, such as Miraculous and Homestrait, will need the leaders to come back to them late.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Belsito KTB Selection60/100
Belsito is a fair performer who has won five times at today's trip. He acts on soft ground with three wins and five places from six runs on it. Trainer Kevin Ryan has a 14% strike rate at Catterick from 535 runs in line with his record elsewhere while the horse has only run once here when finishing seventh. From draw 3 he is ideally placed to race prominently, usually contesting the lead or sitting handily. With an OR of 80 and recent form of 132157 he remains competitive at this level. Tom Eaves takes the ride on the selection.
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2Aberama Gold54/100
Aberama Gold is a fair 9-year-old who arrives in consistent form and has won at both Catterick and today's trip. He has been placed three times from seven starts on soft ground without winning, while his record here reads one win from four runs. Trainer David O'Meara has a 13% strike rate at Catterick from 570 runs, in line with his overall figure. From a wide draw of 8 he will again race prominently, on or close to the lead. Recent form figures of 522024 underline his reliability at this level. Mark Winn is in the saddle for his first ride at the track.
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3Miraculous54/100
Miraculous is a fair performer who has won four times at this trip from 19 starts but arrives in modest recent form having managed only one success from his last six outings. He has been below par both starts at Catterick and remains unproven on soft ground. Trainer Tim Easterby has a 12% strike rate here from 1,955 runs, above his 9% at other tracks, while jockey David Allan also rides at the course. Dropping in class from an OR of 80 he will be held up, producing his effort late. Recent form reads 240106.
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4Manila Scouse53/100
Manila Scouse is a fair performer who has been out of form for much of the year but showed a bit more when second over course and distance on his penultimate start. He has placed on soft ground and is 3-29 at today's trip, though his recent efforts remain modest. Trainer Tim Easterby has a 12% strike rate at Catterick from 1,955 runs, above his 9% elsewhere. He typically settles in midfield from draw 5. Recent form of 006002 reflects a mixed campaign yet the placed effort here offers some encouragement. Duran Fentiman rides.
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5Homestrait53/100
Homestrait is a fair performer who has placed three times from four runs at Catterick without winning. Recent form of 123843 shows consistency at this level yet the one run on soft ground brought no win or place. Dropping in class, he will be held up and produce his effort late. Trainer Brian Ellison has a 14% strike rate here from 684 runs, above their 11% at other tracks.
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6Marching Mac52/100
Marching Mac is a fair handicapper who has won three times over this trip from ten attempts and holds a solid record on soft ground with two wins and two places from eight runs. He steps back up to 5f today after a string of runs at the minimum and arrives in decent form having won at this level on his penultimate start. The trainer has a 0% strike rate from 25 runs at Catterick which sits in line with their 7% elsewhere while this is the horse's first appearance here. He will race prominently.
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7Quercus49/100
Quercus is a modest 9-year-old who has won eight times at Catterick from 29 runs and also has a solid record on soft ground with one win and three places from four starts. He has won nine times at today's trip from 45 attempts yet his recent form of 56510 shows he can be inconsistent. The trainer's 10% strike rate at the track is in line with their record elsewhere. He tends to make the running or race on the pace from draw 2.
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8Azure Zain43/100
Azure Zain is a modest performer who has won twice at this trip from 14 attempts. Placed twice from four starts on soft ground without winning and arrives in ordinary recent form. Trainer has a 0% strike rate from 16 runs at Catterick. He typically settles in midfield.
KTB verdict
Belsito is the KTB Selection. A fair performer with five wins at this trip and a strong record on soft ground, he is well placed from draw 3 to race prominently in a race that should be run at a genuine pace. Kevin Ryan's 14% strike rate at Catterick adds further confidence. The main dangers are Aberama Gold, who brings consistent form and course success, and Miraculous, who drops in class despite being unproven on soft. Manila Scouse could also figure if building on his recent course and distance second.
KTB Selection Belsito
Early prices
The best price per runner across the bookmakers we track, each as first seen (UK time). Every runner had a price by 12:02am, 27 Oct. Prices move — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Early price | Bookmaker, time |
|---|---|---|
| Belsito | 17/2 | William Hill, 12:02am |
| Aberama Gold | 10/3 | Bet365, 12:02am |
| Miraculous | 9/2 | 7Bet, 12:02am |
| Manila Scouse | 5/1 | William Hill, 12:02am |
| Homestrait | 5/1 | 7Bet, 12:02am |
| Marching Mac | 7/2 | William Hill, 12:02am |
| Quercus | 18/1 | Bet365, 12:02am |
| Azure Zain | 9/1 | William Hill, 12:02am |
This is the narrative read of the 2:40 Catterick. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Catterick racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Catterick results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Catterick racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the strongest record on soft ground?
Belsito, with three wins and five places from six runs on soft.
How many times has Quercus won at Catterick?
Eight times from 29 runs.
Which runner is unproven on soft ground?
Miraculous has had no runs on soft.
Who showed the most recent encouragement at this course and distance?
Manila Scouse, who finished second over C&D on his penultimate start.
Which trainer has the highest strike rate at Catterick among those represented?
Brian Ellison with a 14% strike rate from 684 runs.
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