Way To Dubai

That one win finally came at Lingfield Park on 31 January 2026, roughly three months ago, over a distance of around a mile and a bit — the sort of trip where Way To Dubai is clearly most comfortable. In 8 races at that distance range, this horse has won once and placed several times, a win rate of 12%, or just over 1 in every 8 races. That is still modest, but compared to the overall career numbers, it looks positively impressive.

Since that Lingfield win, the last 6 races have brought finishes of 3rd, 5th, 3rd, 8th, 12th, and 4th — placed twice, but no victory. The trajectory of those results is not encouraging. The horse raced just yesterday, which makes it one of the busier horses in training right now. Michael Appleby, who trains Way To Dubai out of Oakham in Rutland, runs a very active and productive yard — 74 winners already this season suggests a team that keeps horses busy and finds opportunities. Appleby is clearly not giving up on this horse, even at 7 years old.

Regular jockey Harry Davies has been aboard for 10 of those races together without a win, which is a tough run for any partnership. The Class 4 level — a middle tier of racing — has also proved stubborn, with 0 wins from 10 races at that grade. Way To Dubai is a horse that clearly has ability, given how often it places, but turning that into a victory has been the hard part. The one bright spot is that it has done it before, at Lingfield, at the right distance. Whether it can find that moment again is the question the team keeps turning up to answer.