Theonlywayiswessex

The name is a cheeky nod to the old reality TV show, and the horse races in the same spirit — unpretentious, workmanlike, quietly getting on with it. Most of its racing has come at Class 5 level, which represents the bread-and-butter end of the sport rather than the big occasions, and it has won 2 of those 15 races at that level, or roughly 1 in every 7 or 8 attempts. Not eye-catching on paper, but perfectly respectable for a horse operating week-in, week-out at this tier.

The conditions that suit it best are straightforward ones — normal, well-maintained ground — and on that surface it has won 2 of 9 races, just over 1 in every 4. That 22% win rate on good ground is noticeably better than its overall record, and it is the kind of detail that matters when deciding whether to travel to the track. The horse's regular partner is Tom Cannon, who has ridden it 13 times and won twice together — about 1 in every 6 or 7 rides. That is a solid working relationship rather than a magical one.

Behind the horse is Alan King's yard at Wroughton in Wiltshire, one of the more productive operations in the country right now — 58 winners already this season, which is the mark of a team that knows what it is doing. The most recent win came at Plumpton in December 2024, which means there has been a 17-month gap since the last victory. The recent form tells a more encouraging story, though: the last six runs read 7-1-2-3-4-2 in reverse order, which means this horse has barely been out of the top four across its last five outings. That kind of consistency, with a race just yesterday, suggests it is fit, in good order, and very much still competing. Whether another win is just around the corner is the question — but the evidence says do not rule it out.