John Barbour

The seven-year-old has built a record that any stable would be quietly pleased with: 5 wins and 10 places from 14 races, meaning he has come away with something — a win or a place — in every single race he has ever run. His win rate sits at 36%, which translates to more than 1 in every 3 races. For context, most horses win far less often than that. His recent form makes it even more striking: in his last six races he has won three, finished second twice, and only once come away empty-handed. That is not a horse in and out of form — that is a horse on a roll.

He is trained by Fergal O'Brien at the yard's base in Withington, Gloucestershire, and O'Brien has had a serious season — 90 winners sent out already. John Barbour is one of the sharper tools in that operation. His most regular partner in the saddle is Jonathan Burke, and the two of them have struck up a productive relationship: Burke has ridden him seven times and won on three of those occasions, a win rate of 43% — nearly winning every other time they go out together. That is a jockey-horse combination worth noting.

The one area where John Barbour has looked a little less comfortable is stepping up in class. At Class 4 — a solid but not elite level — he has managed 1 win from 5 races, a 20% win rate, or roughly 1 in 5. He is clearly best when the conditions suit him and the track is Uttoxeter. But with a win at Wincanton just this week, on 12 April 2026, he arrives at the top of his game and in the kind of form that makes him genuinely interesting to follow — wherever he lines up next.