Regal Ulixes

The first of those wins came at Newbury in September 2024, which doubled as the first victory of its career. There is something satisfying about a horse announcing itself properly, and Newbury — a long, galloping track that tends to find out the genuine articles — is a decent place to do it. The second win arrived at Doncaster in June 2025, another Class 2 success, confirming that the Newbury result was no fluke. Two wins, both at the top level, both at tracks that reward quality. That is a consistent horse finding its ceiling and performing right at it.

The recent form is harder to love. The last six runs read 7-6-blank-6-7-1, meaning four finishes outside the top six bookending a win. That middle stretch of placings and disappointments is worth noting, though it is also worth keeping in perspective: Regal Ulixes is competing in some of the most competitive races on the calendar, and simply getting round in one piece at Class 2 level is no small thing. The horse raced just one day ago, so it is clearly being kept busy.

Behind the scenes, this is a horse trained by Andrew Balding at Kingsclere in Hampshire — one of the most productive yards in Britain right now. Balding's team has sent out 202 winners this season alone, which is a remarkable number and speaks to an operation that knows how to place horses well and keep them performing. A yard firing at that volume tends to have a good read on where each horse belongs, and keeping Regal Ulixes in Class 2 company suggests real belief in what the horse can do when everything clicks. The question now is whether another big-day performance is coming — and given the track record, it would be unwise to rule it out.