Fools Rush In

The place Fools Rush In causes the most trouble is Wolverhampton. Three wins from 14 races there is a record that stands out — that is roughly 1 in every 5 visits ending in a win, which at any track is impressive, but at a venue you keep returning to, it suggests the horse has genuinely cracked something about the place. On normal ground conditions, the numbers are similarly striking: 5 wins from 27 races, again winning about 1 in 5. Get Fools Rush In on a standard surface and it becomes a different proposition.

Ruth Carr's yard has been in excellent form this season — 63 winners sent out already — and Fools Rush In has contributed to that tally, last winning at Southwell in February. That win came after Ruth Carr took the horse into her care and made a small surgical adjustment to its breathing, something she flagged would have got it to the track sooner had it not been necessary. The patience paid off. James Sullivan, who rides the horse more than anyone else, has an even better record in the partnership — 4 wins from 20 races together, which is a 20% win rate, or 1 in 5. When Sullivan and Fools Rush In meet, good things tend to happen.

Those who have ridden the horse talk about a horse that occasionally hits a flat spot mid-race — a moment where it seems to briefly run out of ideas — but one that responds when asked and keeps finding. Richard Kingscote noted it after a win at Redcar, having been anxious at the two-furlong marker before watching it stay on strongly. Harry Davies, after the first career win at Chester in July 2022, praised its guts and its ability to travel well despite a wide run from an untidy start. A horse that wins wide at Chester, stays on at Redcar, and owns Wolverhampton is not just making up the numbers. It knows what it is doing.