Biggles

The last three years have been unkind. His most recent victory came at Newmarket in July 2023, in a Class 2 race—one of the top tiers of British racing—and since then, he has not won a single race. His last six outings tell the tale: fourth, fifth, second, ninth, seventh, and sixteenth. Second place is the closest he has come. Racing just one day ago, he is clearly still active and still trying, but the wins have dried up.

Tom Lacey's yard at Woolhope, in Herefordshire, has been firing this season with 37 winners, but Biggles is not among the recent success stories. The frustration is that he has a clear preference: on slow, muddy ground, he is genuinely dangerous, winning two of his three races on that terrain (67%). That is a meaningful edge. But at Class 2—the level where most of his races happen—he manages just one win from ten attempts (10%). The drop-off is stark. Biggles thrives when conditions are wet and when the company is softer, but he struggles at the top table. At this stage of his career, racing is maintenance rather than progression. The question now is whether another wet-ground opportunity might spark something, or whether his best days truly are behind him.