Percy Shelley

Both of those wins have come over long distances — two miles or more — and that is almost certainly the key to understanding this horse. In 10 races at that sort of trip, he has won 2, which works out at 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5. That is a meaningful number. Plenty of horses are decent over shorter distances and simply find a longer trip too demanding; Percy Shelley is the opposite. Give him room to run and he uses it.

His first win came at Uttoxeter in September 2025, followed quickly by another at Ludlow in October. Trainer James Owen, based at Newmarket, has spoken warmly about him — describing a horse who had already shown ability on the flat, rated 85, before making a smooth transition to racing over hurdles. Owen's yard has sent out 204 winners this season alone, so this is not a small operation, and when a trainer from a yard that busy singles out a horse by name and talks about running him at Cheltenham, that is worth paying attention to.

The one puzzle in the file is his record with regular jockey Daniel Tudhope — five races together, no wins. Whether that partnership continues or changes is one of the more interesting questions around him. What is not in question is that Percy Shelley, competing mostly at Class 4 level, has won 2 of his 12 races at that grade. And with a trainer who clearly believes in him, a trip that suits him, and form that is genuinely improving, the next few months could tell us whether this is a horse who has finally worked out what he is good at — or whether those two wins were the high point. Either way, he is worth watching.