The Notebook - 30th April 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...

A Little Something

If Emma Levelle’s A Little Something could brush up her jumping, she would certainly break her maiden tag, and there would be plenty of low-grade races for her to win. Her enthusiasm as she travels is likeable, but she takes a few chances at her fences, which as a result means she can hit the fences quite hard if she gets them wrong. Despite this carelessness, she produced another strong effort in defeat at Fontwell on Friday and looked the winner as they turned in, just being picked up in the final furlong. It is back-to-back encouraging performances after running to a similar level in a Class 5 Chase at Ludlow in March, and with her mark unchanged from 89, she still appears attractively handicapped.

Stratagem

In the Highland National at Perth, Stratagem finished a never-nearer fourth for the Mickey Bowen team, but the performance was better than the bare result suggests. He was settled at the rear of the field, jumped well, and switched off nicely in the hands of Shane Fenelon. It was his first venture at a marathon trip, and it appeared he was ridden to finish his race, which he did. If there was a stronger pace, I believe he would have finished closer, but the front-runners and prominent racers set a steady gallop which never suited Stratagem’s closing style. He used to be rated a lot higher when with former trainer Paul Nicholls, winning off a mark of 140, and while he likely won’t reach those heights again, this veteran is more than capable of winning more races off 112.

Jack Hyde

Fergal O’Brien’s charge appeared in trouble in a Class 3 Handicap Hurdle but rallied pleasingly to finish second under Tom Broughton. It was a testament to the hard work of Broughton and the gutsy attitude of Jack Hyde to battle back when he could have easily downed tools after being headed and outpaced a long way out. He has a strong book of form on his CV, winning five times from 16, and placing a further five times, including in valuable handicaps at Cheltenham and Aintree. While I don’t think there is much wiggle room off a mark of 129, with clever placing, he may be able to pick up another nice prize somewhere this Summer, with a quicker surface suiting him well.

Field Of Gold

My favourite thing about this column is that I can throw Group 1 horses in here when they get beaten, and I was a lot more upbeat than most about Field Of Gold getting beaten in the Bet365 Mile at Sandown. I was wary of getting involved at even money, because while his raw ability is clear to see, he does have a tendency to underperform at times, and I assumed he would come on for his first run of the season. He was given a generous ride from Colin Keane, and I’d expect him to improve massively when next seen in the Lockinge at Newbury.