Dunnington Lad

His best performances come when the ground is riding normally — not too wet, not too dry. On that standard surface he has won 3 of his 8 races, a win rate of 38%, which is genuinely impressive. To put that in perspective: most horses at his level win far less than one in three on their preferred ground. When Dunnington Lad gets the conditions he likes, he is a real contender.

Most of his career has been spent in Class 6 company — the entry-level tier of British racing, where the fields are competitive in their own unpredictable way. He has won 2 of his 16 races at that level, which sounds modest but reflects just how hard it is to win consistently even at the bottom of the ladder. His first career win came at Windsor in April 2022, and his most recent — and arguably most meaningful — came at Ripon in August 2024, now 22 months ago. That gap is the one cloud hanging over him: he has not won in his last 6 races, with recent finishing positions of 7th, 7th, 9th, and 11th suggesting he has been finding things slightly tougher of late.

Jockey Ethan Jones has been his most regular partner, riding him in 5 races and winning once together — 1 from 5, or a 20% win rate, which actually compares favourably to Dunnington Lad's overall record. The Winks yard has had just one winner so far this season, so the whole team will be hoping this horse can rediscover the form that made him such a reliable performer in his prime. He raced just yesterday, which tells you everything about his enthusiasm for the job — whatever the results, Dunnington Lad keeps showing up.