Hickory Lad

The standout moment so far came at Musselburgh on 29 April 2026, where Hickory Lad picked up its first career win. Musselburgh is a tight, flat track on the east coast of Scotland that tends to reward horses who are sharp and adaptable — so winning there suggests this is a horse with a bit of nous about it, not just raw ability. With recent form reading 2-1-2, Hickory Lad has finished in the top two in every single race it has ever run. That's not luck — that's a horse that keeps turning up.

Behind the scenes, Hickory Lad is trained by Phillip Makin at a yard in Easingwold, North Yorkshire. Makin's team has sent out 9 winners already this season, which tells you this is an outfit that knows how to get horses ready to perform. A yard in form is no small thing — training racehorses is as much about timing and preparation as it is about talent, and right now Makin's team clearly has things clicking. With Hickory Lad having raced as recently as yesterday, it's a horse very much in the thick of things, and one well worth keeping an eye on as the season develops.