His recent form figures of 1-1-2-2-4 (reading from most recent backwards) tell a clean story. He has not finished outside the top two in four of his last five outings, and the one time he did — that fourth place — was his starting point before he clicked into gear. Two wins and four places from five career races means he has come home in the prizes in all but one run. That is the kind of consistency that makes a trainer's life considerably easier.
That trainer is Olly Murphy, whose yard at Wilmcote in Warwickshire has sent out 146 winners already this season — a number that reflects a seriously well-organised, high-volume operation. Murphy is not a trainer who hides his good horses; when something is in form, it runs, and Mister Ursus running just yesterday underlines that the team are happy to keep him busy while the confidence is there.
The one small puzzle in the record is that his three runs at Class 4 level — the mid-tier of British racing — have brought zero wins. Both victories have come elsewhere, which raises an interesting question about where exactly he is most comfortable. Horses can be funny like that: sometimes the step up in class suits them, sometimes the track or the distance just fits. What is beyond argument right now is that Mister Ursus is a horse in the form of his life, and anyone following him over the last month has had very little to complain about.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Galloping |
1 | 1 win | 23 Apr | 100% |
| Fakenham Tight |
1 | 1 win | 13 Mar | 100% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 21 Feb | 0% |
| Bangor-on-Dee Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 12 Nov | 0% |
| Leicester Sharp |
1 | 1 second | 20 Jan | 0% |