Jonquil

What makes the record even more striking is where those wins have come. Two of Jonquil's four victories have been in Class 1 races — the top tier of British racing, the biggest occasions the sport offers. Winning one of those is an achievement. Winning two, at Goodwood in August 2025 and Newbury the previous April, says this horse genuinely belongs at the highest level. Most horses spend their careers trying to reach that company. Jonquil has beaten it twice.

The latest win came just two weeks ago at Ascot on 1 May 2026, and the horse raced again only yesterday, so this is very much a story still being written. Jonquil clearly thrives on fast, dry ground — 2 wins from 3 races in those conditions works out at 67%, or roughly 2 in every 3 starts on a quick surface. That's a telling stat when the summer season is approaching and firm ground becomes the norm.

Behind all of this is Andrew Balding's yard at Kingsclere in Hampshire, one of the most productive stables in the country right now. Balding's team has sent out 202 winners this season alone — that kind of output isn't luck, it's a well-run operation at the top of its game. Having a horse like Jonquil in the string, with two top-level wins already banked at four years old and seemingly still improving, is exactly the kind of horse a yard like this builds its season around.

The recent form does show a couple of disappointing finishes mixed in — a ninth and a seventh in the last six races — so it isn't flawless. But the pattern is clear: when conditions suit and the occasion is big, Jonquil delivers. Two Class 1 wins before the age of five, trained by one of Britain's busiest yards, racing just yesterday. Whatever comes next, this one is worth watching.