Joyeux Machin

What stands out most is the recent form. Two wins from his last six races, including a victory at Uttoxeter just this week, suggests a horse in the form of his life at an age when many have already been retired. His jockey Sean Flanagan knows him well — the pair have raced together 10 times, winning twice, a 20% win rate that mirrors the horse's overall record almost exactly. When something works, you stick with it.

Ground conditions matter a great deal to this horse, and the numbers are striking. On soft, wet ground he has won 2 from 4 — that is half of every race he has run in those conditions. On normal ground it is 2 from 5, which is 40%. The picture is clear: he is not a specialist for one type of surface, he simply does not like fast, dry ground. Keep him away from that and you have a serious performer.

His course record at Wexford is worth noting too — 2 wins from 6 races there, making it a genuine happy hunting ground. His career began with a win at Navan in January 2022, and Skelton has spoken about him as a horse who loves a trip of three miles, believing that distance brings the best out of him. The assistant trainer James Nolan has been equally enthusiastic, describing him simply as "a good horse" — the kind of understated praise that in racing circles tends to mean rather a lot.

The one area where Joyeux Machin has not yet delivered is at the very top level. In 6 races at Class 1 — the biggest races in Britain — he has not won once. That is the frontier he has not yet crossed, and it remains the question hanging over his career. Everything else suggests a horse still improving and still hungry. At nine, that alone is remarkable.