Cicero's Gift

The headline achievement is a Class 1 win at Ascot in October 2025, which left trainer Charles Hills, normally measured in his words, admitting he was speechless. That race had been the target for months. Hills had been watching the weather forecast anxiously, hoping for rain that never came — because wet, muddy ground is where this horse truly comes alive. In 4 races on soft or heavy ground, Cicero's Gift has won 3 times, a 75% win rate. On good or fast ground, that transforms into something far more ordinary. The conditions matter enormously with this horse, and Hills knows it.

Sandown Park has become something of a second home. From 5 races there, Cicero's Gift has won 2, including back-to-back victories in September and July of 2025 — one at Class 1 level, one at Class 2. Hills noted that even in a spring defeat at the track, the horse was beaten by genuinely high-class rivals. That context matters: finishing close to top horses on ground that doesn't suit you is a different kind of result from simply losing.

The story behind those wins involves real patience on everyone's part. A joint problem in 2024 cost the horse months of racing, and Hills has spoken candidly about the challenge of managing a talented but fragile athlete. The phrase he used — "not the soundest" — covers a lot of anxiety and careful planning. Jockey Jason Watson, who rides him in most races, has won 2 of their 6 outings together, roughly 1 in 3 — a solid partnership built on familiarity with a horse that clearly rewards trust. Active just one day ago at age six, Cicero's Gift appears in the best form of his career.