Okavango Delta

Trained by Paul Robson at South Hazelrigg in Northumberland, a yard that has already sent out 7 winners this season, Okavango Delta has found a reliable partner in jockey Craig Nichol. The two have teamed up 14 times and won 3 of those — that's a win rate of around 1 in 5 together, noticeably better than the horse's overall record, which suggests Nichol has genuinely figured this one out.

The most interesting part of Okavango Delta's story is what happens at Musselburgh. On that tight, left-handed track on the Firth of Forth, the horse has won 2 of its 6 races — one in every three visits. For context, its overall win rate is closer to one in seven. Something about Musselburgh suits it, whether that is the track shape, the crowd, or simply familiarity built up over years of returning there. Course specialists are real, and this horse is quietly becoming one.

It does most of its racing at Class 4 level — the solid, unglamorous middle tier of British racing — and has won just 1 of 16 races at that level (6%), which sounds modest until you remember that Class 4 fields are competitive and consistent. The horse clearly belongs there, even if winning is hard work. It prefers normal ground conditions, where it has won 2 of 8 races, a 25% win rate that is genuinely strong.

The most recent win came at Worcester in May 2025, which is now 12 months ago. The last six runs read –-6-2-5-4-1, so while it has not found the winner's enclosure recently, it has not disgraced itself either. A second place sits in there, and the horse was racing just yesterday. At 10, Okavango Delta is not building toward anything — it is simply doing what it has always done, turning up, competing, and occasionally reminding everyone why Paul Robson keeps sending it out.