Whatsupwithyou

Ben Pauling trains him out of Naunton in Gloucestershire, a yard that has sent out 91 winners this season alone, so Whatsupwithyou is operating in good company. Pauling described him early on as a "battling" type, and that word has aged well. This is not a horse who wins by drawing clear — he grinds, he jumps, he gets on with it. His assistant trainer Tom David put it neatly after his most recent win: the horse is "always on the go and always wants to get on with things," which is why his jockey that day had to hold him back and let the race come to him.

That win came at Ascot in December 2025, which is worth pausing on. Ascot is one of the most prestigious venues in British racing, and pulling off a win there — at the age of 12 — is no small thing. He has raced most of his career at Class 3 level, one step below the top tier, and has won 2 of his 17 races at that grade. But the Ascot victory suggests he can deliver on a big stage when conditions are right.

Two tracks stand out in his record. At Ludlow he has won 2 of just 4 races, which means he wins there half the time — that is remarkable given his overall rate of 1 in 8. On wet or muddy ground, he wins 2 from 10, or 1 in 5, which is comfortably better than his average. The picture is clear: get him to Ludlow when it is soft underfoot and you are looking at a very different animal.

His most regular partner is Elliott England, who has won 2 of their 8 races together — 1 in every 4, well above the horse's career average. There is also a quietly touching footnote to his Ludlow wins: stable hand Megan Fox, who had looked after him for four years, rode him there for her first winner under rules. "I couldn't ask for a better horse," she said. He raced just yesterday and is still very much in training.