Ukantango

Trained by Olly Murphy at Wilmcote in Warwickshire, Ukantango is part of a yard firing on all cylinders — 146 winners already this season is a serious number that puts Murphy firmly among the leading trainers in the country. Ukantango sits comfortably at Class 3 level, one step below the top tier, and has won 2 from 7 at that grade — nearly 1 in 3, which suggests it's actually the right level for him. His most recent win came at Southwell on 1 April 2026, just five weeks ago, so he arrives in form.

What makes Ukantango genuinely interesting is the way he can occasionally punch above his weight. At Cheltenham — racing's most famous stage — he produced a run that baffled even his own trainer. Murphy admitted he thought the horse was going nowhere approaching the top of the hill, only for him to somehow find himself in front at the bottom of it. That's the kind of unpredictable brilliance that keeps people watching horse racing. Murphy was quick to flag the effort it took: the horse had, in his words, a very hard race.

His regular partner in the saddle is Sean Bowen, one of the top jockeys in the sport, but their record together — 1 win from 10 races — is curiously modest given Bowen's ability. That said, Ukantango's recent form reads 1-4-9-9-1-4 from his last six outings, with two wins tucked in there and a blank run at Cheltenham sandwiched between them. Murphy has also noted that the horse has an affinity for decent ground — drier, faster conditions — and that a physical issue disrupted him at the end of a previous season, something that can knock any horse's rhythm. At nine, the clock is ticking, but with a trainer in the form of his life and a genuine liking for fast ground as spring arrives, Ukantango looks like a horse with at least one more good day left in him.