Orionis

The partnership with Tom Marquand has been particularly productive. In five races together, Marquand has ridden Orionis to all three of its wins — a win rate of 60%, or roughly 3 in every 5 rides ending in victory. That is an unusually tight and effective combination, and it is the kind of stat that suggests horse and jockey have found a real understanding. Behind them sits William Haggas, one of the most consistently successful trainers in Britain, operating out of Newmarket. His yard has sent out 176 winners already this season alone, which is a remarkable volume — it means Haggas is producing winners at a pace that most trainers could only dream of.

Where Orionis really comes alive is at a distance of around a mile and three or four furlongs. At that trip, the record reads two wins from four races — a 50% win rate, meaning it has won half its races at its preferred distance. That is the mark of a horse that genuinely suits a test of stamina rather than pure speed. Both wins at that trip came on different tracks, which suggests it is the distance rather than any one venue that brings out the best.

The last win came at Newbury on 19 September 2025, and Orionis now returns from a break of roughly five months. That is a significant gap, and any horse coming back from that long off will need a run to find its feet again. But the underlying form is solid, the trainer knows how to prepare horses for big days, and at just three years old, this is a horse with room to improve further. The question when it returns is not whether it can win again — it is whether it can step up into better company and prove the form means something at a higher level.