Happy Returns

That one career win did finally come at Wincanton in December 2025, and the recent form suggests it arrived at something of a purple patch. Looking at the last six races in reverse order — a 4th, 2nd, 1st, 4th, a pulled up run, and then a 2nd most recently — there's a horse that has rediscovered some form after its big moment, even if that pulled up run in the middle raises a question or two. The 2nd place finish just a day ago shows Happy Returns is still in the mix and still being asked questions.

Most of its career has been spent at Class 5 level, which is the bread and butter of British racing — competitive enough, but not where the big prize money or famous names tend to gather. At that level, Happy Returns has won 1 from 11 races, a 9% win rate, meaning roughly 1 in every 11 Class 5 races has gone its way. That is modest, but it also means the horse has earned its place at that level and knows its job.

The partnership with jockey James Best is one that has produced plenty of efforts but no wins across eight races together. That's not necessarily a damning statistic — many honest horses run well without winning — but it does mean the long-awaited Wincanton victory actually came with someone else in the saddle. Trainer Neil Mulholland, based in Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, has had a productive season with 60 winners sent out from the yard, so Happy Returns operates within a capable setup that clearly knows how to get a horse ready to win. Whether this nine-year-old has another victory in it remains to be seen, but at least it's still turning up and still giving its rivals something to think about.