Fugitif

The headline achievement is a Class 1 win at Cheltenham in December 2023 — the December Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious races run at one of the most famous tracks in the world. What made it all the more striking was that his jockey Sean Bowen spent much of the race just trying to get a response from him, kicking and squeezing the whole way. Trainer Richard Hobson noted afterwards that Fugitif would actually have preferred even muddier ground than he got that day, which points to something genuinely interesting: on wet or muddy ground, Fugitif transforms. He has won 3 of his 12 races in those conditions — 1 in every 4 — compared to just 1 win from his other 15 races overall. He is a horse that needs the ground heavy beneath him to really fire.

That Cheltenham win was now 28 months ago, and he has not won since across six races. His recent form reads 5th, pulled up, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 5th — not a run of results to get excited about, though that second place shows the ability is still there. Hobson has been careful with him, noting that a tough race in the Clarence House Chase last January essentially took the stuffing out of his season. The trainer's approach now is to space his runs out and make sure he is properly ready when the big days come around, with the December Gold Cup — the very race he won last year — identified as the main target.

Sean Bowen has been in the saddle seven times without a win between them, which looks like a curious partnership on paper. But Bowen's own post-Cheltenham assessment — calling him "a dude of a horse" — suggests the affection is real, even if the wins have dried up. With Richard Hobson's yard sending out nine winners already this season and a horse who has shown he can win at the very highest level when the rain comes down, Fugitif is worth watching when the skies open.