Nonbinding

His two wins came in quick succession back in the autumn of 2022 — first at Navan in September, then at Ayr the following month — and that Ayr victory is now 42 months in the past. That is a long time to be waiting for a third win, and it is the central question hanging over him at this stage of his career. He has shown he can do it; the question is whether he can find the conditions and the race to bring it out again.

There are some clues worth following. At distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, Nonbinding has won 1 from 3 races, a win rate of 33%. Winning one in three at any distance is a strong figure, suggesting the extra yardage genuinely suits him. His trainer Victor Thompson, based in Alnwick in Northumbria, has spoken in the past about Nonbinding wanting further ground and being a big, physical type built for jumping — comments that hint at a horse whose best might come when conditions play to his strengths. Thompson's yard has sent out one winner so far this season, so this is a small operation looking for every edge it can find.

At nine years old, time is not endlessly on Nonbinding's side, but horses of this age can still find their moment if everything clicks — the right trip, the right ground, the right day. He is still racing, still being placed, and still trained by a team that clearly believes in him. Whether that third win is coming or whether his best days are behind him, only the next few months will tell.