That Haydock win in early April 2026 was not a surprise to anyone watching closely. Major Fortune had already won two of his last six races, and the form line heading into it read 1-2-2-1-8-4 — in other words, he had been finishing on the podium in almost every race that mattered recently. What unlocks him, it turns out, is wet, heavy ground. On very muddy ground he has won 2 from 4 races — a remarkable 50% hit rate. Dan Skelton spotted this early; after a win at Newton Abbot he mentioned that they had been waiting all season for conditions soft enough to suit him, and that the ground had made all the difference. That is not an excuse — that is a blueprint.
The man steering him through most of this has been Harry Skelton, Dan's brother, who has ridden him in 19 of his 26 races and won 6 of them — roughly 1 in every 3 rides together. After a winning run that Harry described as "five on the bounce," he told Sky Sports Racing that Major Fortune was simply thriving, and that he had no idea where the ceiling was. That phrase matters. When a jockey who rides hundreds of horses a year singles one out and says he does not know how good it can get, you pay attention.
The one genuine puzzle in his record is his form at Class 3 level — the step up in grade where races get notably tougher. He has run 9 times there without winning, which on the face of it looks like a weakness. But Skelton has spoken openly about wanting to go beyond three miles and step him up in trip, suggesting the horse's best racing may still be ahead of him. A yard that has sent out 194 winners this season does not lack for experience in placing horses wisely, and Major Fortune's first career win came on Boxing Day 2023 at Market Rasen — a horse who has been building steadily, race by race, ever since.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester Sharp |
3 | 2 seconds, 1 other | 6 Mar | 0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
2 | 2 wins | 5 Mar | 100% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 other | 4 Apr | 50% |
| Cheltenham Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 25 Oct | 0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 17 Feb | 0% |
| Wincanton Galloping |
1 | 1 win | 15 Jan | 100% |
| hereford | 1 | 1 win | 15 Jan | 100% |
| Market Rasen Sharp |
1 | 1 win | 26 Dec | 100% |
| Newton Abbot Sharp |
1 | 1 win | 30 Oct | 100% |
| Uttoxeter Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 28 Oct | 0% |
| Plumpton Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 20 Apr | 0% |
| Exeter Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 10 Nov | 0% |
| Warwick Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 21 Feb | 0% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 27 Dec | 0% |
| Huntingdon Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 30 Jan | 0% |
| Sandown Park Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 1 Feb | 0% |
| Ludlow Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 21 Nov | 0% |
| Bangor-on-Dee Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 4 Oct | 0% |
| Taunton Undulating |
1 | 1 second | 3 Mar | 0% |
| Ayr Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 20 Apr | 0% |