The Notebook - 28th 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...

Jimmy Mark

I thought Jimmy Mark shaped really encouragingly at bath on Tuesday, especially when you factor in it was his first run for 218 days. He travelled smoothly through the race and looked a big player as the race began to develop, just finding one too good who notably produced a career best performance. Bath is a unique track and not every horse can handle the undulations, so finding one that often runs well here can be a big advantage. Jimmy Mark has won 3 times from 10 starts here and placed a further four times, so he often produces strong performances at the track. Assuming he strips fitter for the run, he would not need to greatly improve next time out to hit the frame. At a low-level, there will be plenty of races in him.

Hatamoto

I don’t often get involved in three-year-old handicaps, but Hatamoto ran a nice race at Leicester and warrants being in this column. Often these younger horses can improve dramatically when contesting handicaps and even more so when they develop a racing brain and understand what’s being asked of them. The fact that Hatamoto was sent off 13/8 favourite on handicap debut told me there was a fair expectation that this horse would run well, and he did so, finishing second by a length. He was racing off the same mark here, but he got a little outpaced before hitting the line well, so a return to a mile may see him improve further. Connections know he is well-handicapped off 55 and when he gets optimum conditions, he will be a big threat wherever he turns up.

Lady Harriett

A leap of faith is needed to confidently back Lady Harriett from the Mickey Bowen stable, largely due to her CV being un-inspiring. Recent form figures of 33PP-56, make supporting her difficult, but she shaped well on this latest occasion at Cartmel and ran better than the finishing result suggests. She hit the front and got racing plenty early enough which didn’t suit and she consequently emptied quite quickly, but three out she took the race up and looked a major player. There is often market support behind her, so she is likely to be showing positive signs at home and she did win a race in good style back in November 2024, indicating she is capable.

Everyonesgame

Finally in this low-level dive into the past weeks racing, Everyonesgame got badly hampered at Plumpton, albeit as he was being passed by the eventual winner, but this didn’t help his finishing chances. He got closer towards the line, but ultimately this was because the winner was idling, but it was an encouraging enough performance in a cagey contest. This horse sprung a superb upset on his second start for Andy Irvine at odds of 80/1 and ran respectably in a competitive Class 2 next time out at Cheltenham. Two sub-par efforts meant he dropped in the handicap and he may be able to nick another race off a mark of 110.