The Notebook - 21st May 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...

Grand Citadel

At a very moderate level, there may be a couple of races in Grand Citadel, who finished third on Tuesday at Lingfield. She is 1 from 21, and is rated 52, with her only win coming for former trainer Pam Sly, back in May 2025. However, her consistency and ability to regularly run to a mark in the low 50’s means she will likely be a more attractive proposition than most of her future competitors. There looked to be few excuses for this latest defeat, but the winner did have strong market support behind him, so she may have just bumped into one. I think she will win a race somewhere this year, but she is always a decent bet to finish in the top 3.

Kings Castle

On the same Lingfield card, King’s Castle ran a nice race on seasonal debut when finishing second to a really well-handicapped rival in Hengest from the Dylan Cunha yard. He was weak in the betting, indicating he may improve for this first run in 218 days, but he hit the line well and was closing on the winner all the way to the line. Since joining David Simcock, he’s won twice from seven starts under regular pilot Taryn Langley. There still appears scope off a mark of 67, as he won comfortably at Sandown off a pound lower back in July last year. It appears there could still be untapped potential on the flat for this former hurdler.

Tahalel

During her juvenile days, Tahalel was held in very high regard by trainer Richard Hannon, so much so that she competed in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. It’s safe to say her career hasn’t really gone to plan, with defeats at odds of 6/5, 11/8 and 13/8 from five starts. Despite being expensive to follow, her latest second at Windsor on Monday was her best effort to date. She beat all fancied runners, just failing to reel in the winner, who was well-positioned and prominent throughout. She is owned by powerful connections and will need to start repaying their faith in the coming months.

Thunderstorm Katie

A strong pace is absolutely vital for Thunderstorm Katie, who does all her best work late on over five furlongs. She stuck to her task encouragingly after being outpaced at an early stage, but was unable to catch the leader, who was able to quicken from a prominent position. She races off a mark of 62, and her last winning mark was 59, so off historic form, she is not that well in, but when the race sets up for her, she is more than capable of being competitive. If you see a lot of pace in the race, then it could be the perfect set-up for her.