Sunnyvilla

Trainer Nicky Richards, who operates out of Greystoke in Cumbria and has sent out 39 winners already this season, clearly has a soft spot for this horse. After the Uttoxeter win, Richards described him as "a young 11-year-old, if you like — he hasn't many miles on the clock," which is a lovely way of saying that, unlike many horses his age, Sunnyvilla hasn't been hammered with a punishing schedule. That freshness may well explain why he still competes with genuine purpose.

The key to unlocking Sunnyvilla is the weather. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 3 of his 6 races — a 50% win rate that is extraordinary at any level of the sport. Richards has been refreshingly direct about this: he sees Sunnyvilla as a proper mid-winter, heavy-ground horse, and pointed to a close second at Haydock just before Christmas 2025 as evidence. The trainer's view was that the ground wasn't quite soft enough that day and a jumping error at the last cost him the race — in better conditions, he likely wins. His jockey from that run noted that Sunnyvilla likes to bowl along and set the pace, and that approach suited him well.

He typically races at Class 3 level, one step below the very top tier but still competitive, and has won 2 of his 6 races at that grade — around 1 in 3. His first win came at Clonmel in Ireland back in November 2021, and he has since made himself at home on British tracks. Sean O'Keeffe has ridden him most frequently, winning 1 of their 7 races together, though other jockeys have taken the reins on notable occasions. At eleven, with Richards clearly managing him carefully and the winter ground still capable of turning soft, Sunnyvilla has every reason to add to his tally before the season is out.