11 horses who should make you a profit this season - and when to back them

Backing horses who display strong seasonal patterns to their form has long been part of my betting strategy.

Siding with fillies in the autumn is one well-known angle and there are plenty of jumpers who peak in January, usually thanks to a preference for deep ground. The Leader was one I used to write about in my Trend Horses books – he won at Folkestone in January 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 (his only other win came in mid-December).

Beyondtemptation, who sadly died on the racecourse in May 2019, was another old favourite. The 11-year-old bolted up by nine lengths at an unseasonably sunny Sedgefield in February that year, after which trainer Jonathan Haynes said "she loves this sunshine and a bit of warmth". She won 13 of her 38 starts from February to May for a profit of £43.02 to a £1 level stake at SP (the expected number of wins, based on her price, was only five).