Sly Man's Horses to Watch — Saturday 25 July 2026
Five names off today's card. Not the headline favourites — the ones with a story the form book half-mentions.
Five worth watching today. Read the rating, read the angle, then make up your own mind. I'm the wiry one in the silks reading form on a tablet while the favourites warm up — here's what's caught my eye.
Kalpana
Colin Keane takes the ride, the money is pouring in with no drifters to muddy the picture, and an SR of 126 puts Kalpana clear at the top of the card. This one ticks every box worth ticking at 13/2.
- Mr Fox's editorial pick for this race
- Money coming — strict-majority steamer, no drifters
- SR 126 — top of the card
Rod Millman is firing at 26% over the last 30 days and has saddled this mare into a three-from-three run of form — that combination doesn't land on the watchlist by accident. The market has already clocked it, with money coming in and nothing drifting, so 13/8 may not survive to the off.
- Rod Millman — 26% strike rate last 30d (13/50)
- Won last 3 starts
- Money coming — strict-majority steamer, no drifters
Glory Road has clocked an SR of 92, nudging past her own career best of 90 — that kind of uptick on an all-weather surface at this price is exactly what gets a horse onto the watchlist. Loughnane and Beckett are both running at 24% over the last 30 days, and when the horse and the yard arrive in that sort of form together, it tends to mean something.
- SR 92 — near career best (90)
- Billy Loughnane — 24% strike rate last 30d (36/147)
- Ralph Beckett — 24% strike rate last 30d (25/104)
Royal Poetry is running at SR 87 — within two points of a career best — and six independent signals have lined up behind her at once. The market is steaming with no drifters in sight, so this is not a secret anymore, but the price is still worth taking.
- SR 87 — near career best (89)
- Money coming — strict-majority steamer, no drifters
- 6 independent signals aligned
Moore at 23% over 48 rides in the last month is not a blip — and Chapple-Hyam at 22% alongside him makes this a yard-and-jockey combination hitting form at the same time. The market's already noticed, with serious money coming in, so 7/2 might be the best price Kon Tiki sees today.
- Ryan Moore — 23% strike rate last 30d (11/48)
- Jane Chapple-Hyam — 22% strike rate last 30d (6/27)
- Money coming — strict-majority steamer, no drifters