Tormund Giantsbane

His first win came at Worcester in October 2024, and by Skelton's own admission, it caught the team slightly off guard. He was always expected to be a big, galloping type — the sort who takes time — yet there he was, winning first time out over jumps. He followed it up with a second place next time, then made it two wins from two over hurdles when he scored at Carlisle in November 2025, relaxing beautifully, jumping fluently, and travelling into the race as though he'd been doing it for years. That's rare. Horses that look that comfortable that early usually have a bit of ability behind them.

The wet ground angle is worth noting. On soft or muddy ground he's won 2 of his 4 races — a 50% win rate, which is exceptional at any level. It's not a coincidence; some horses genuinely thrive when conditions turn testing, and he appears to be one of them. Given Britain's climate, that's a useful weapon to have. His regular partner is Harry Skelton, who rides for his brother's yard and has won 2 of the 6 times he's been on board — a 1-in-3 return that mirrors the horse's overall record and suggests a comfortable partnership.

Skelton has trained 194 winners this season — a number that puts him among the leading operations in the country — so the fact that he's talking excitedly about this horse matters. After the Carlisle win, the plan was a winter target at Sandown. More recently, after a run at Doncaster, Skelton flagged Aintree as the next destination. Aintree's Grand National festival is one of the biggest occasions in British racing, and a trainer of Skelton's standing doesn't mention it casually. The horse raced just yesterday and is clearly in good form and in the thinking for something bigger. At six, with a handful of wins already behind him and a trainer pointing him at festival targets, Tormund Giantsbane looks like a horse whose best chapters are still ahead.