Chasingouttheblues

The numbers from the last six races tell the story clearly — 5-1-1-2-1-5 means three wins and a second from the last five before a recent fifth. That kind of consistency is rare, and it has been built steadily since a first career win at Hexham in November 2024. The most recent victory came at Carlisle in late March 2026, a track that, according to the trainer's father Tim Walford, suits the horse far better than some others. "He loves a horse to aim at," Tim said after Carlisle, which is the kind of detail that makes you understand a racehorse rather than just read its record. This is not a front-runner — it wants something to chase down.

Jockey Jamie Hamilton has been along for almost the whole ride, partnering the horse in 14 of its 16 races and winning 6 of them together. That works out at 43%, or nearly winning every other race they line up for as a pair. That sort of consistency between horse and rider matters: Hamilton knows exactly how this horse thinks, as his post-race comments from Wetherby illustrated. After a horse fell in front of them mid-race, he kept his cool, got the horse balanced, and when it suddenly picked up and flew the last fence, he rode it out to win. "A bit of luck on our side," he said — but steadiness under pressure is not just luck.

Mark Walford's yard at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire has sent out 35 winners already this season, which puts Chasingouttheblues in very good company. The horse was bought for £22,000 at the Doncaster Sales and was described at the time as "the pick of the sale" — a bold claim that the form book is starting to justify. Where it goes next is the really interesting question. Tim Walford floated the idea of the Scottish National, saying the horse "wants far further" and is built for a long-distance test — as long as the ground is soft enough, because quick conditions are a firm no. A Nationals horse with a win rate like this is one very much worth keeping an eye on.