The Notebook - 11th July 2026

Not every big performance results in a headline victory. Sometimes it is the subtle runs, the late headway, the eye-catching move through the field, or the effort despite unfavourable conditions, that signal a horse ready to strike next time. Here are four runners who caught the eye this week and may be worth adding to your tracker for future races...

Hard Endeavour

There was a really likeable performance from Hard Endeavour who finished second in a competitive handicap at Sandown on Saturday, and I suspect he is a horse who I may struggle to fully gauge his ability. On his penultimate start, he finished fourth in what looks a very hot race on paper, with talented horses such as Beagle Bay, Raammee and High Degree all finishing ahead of him. This latest second in the Coral Challenge is a similar level of form, finishing ahead of very hardy handicappers such as Ebt’s Guard and Popmaster. He found one too good in Indalo and it seems off a mark of 100, connections may have to reduce his mark before he gets his head in the winner’s enclosure. There is no obvious wiggle room in his rating but when he runs to his full potential, he is capable of being in the frame.

Almaty Star

Not being able to dominate the pace was probably the reason Almaty Star found a couple too good at Lingfield on Monday, but he still ran with immense credit to finish third. He is very much a five-furlong horse but has flirted with six furlongs on the odd occasion but is yet to win in 8 attempts over that longer trip. Jack Mitchell gets on particularly well with him, winning twice from 12 starts and placing on a further 6 occasions. He isn’t the most prolific winner, only scoring five times from 42 starts, but he strikes me as a slightly better horse on the all-weather than the turf. Keep an eye on him, he should pop up soon.

Valsharah

Valsharah is proving incredibly frustrating for punters and connections, after yet another second finish at Brighton on Tuesday, taking his record to 0-27. What makes it more annoying, is he has a fair level of ability for the grade, yet often races too keen, blows the start and gives himself a metaphorical mountain to climb. As soon as I give up on the horse you know he will bolt up, yet in the same breath, if he wins one you feel who could win a couple in quick succession. He has one more chance for me, but I may be better off backing him to finish top three rather than a straight win.

Betweenthesticks

In similar fashion to Almaty Star, Betweenthesticks was unable to dominate the speed at Pontefract on Tuesday, however he ran well enough to finish third. Pace control is very important to this horse, as he is an out and out front-runner. He missed the kick slightly on this latest occasion and thus was unable to dictate, which does make him slightly one-dimensional. He is equally useful on turf and the all-weather, with the best performance of his career coming over this latest course and distance back in April. He may be slightly steep in the handicap, but if conditions fall right, he may take a bit of pegging back on the front end.