Wheels Of Fire

That win came at Musselburgh on 4 April, and it looked good enough that the handicapper promptly raised him 8lb in the weights — a substantial penalty that is essentially the sport's way of saying "you've just made life harder for yourself." Hannon's view is that this was an overreaction. His argument is straightforward: Wheels Of Fire handles wet, muddy ground better than most horses at his level, and the Musselburgh win reflected that advantage rather than a sudden leap in ability. When he turned up at Newbury last week, the betting market seemed to agree — he went off at 14-1, a long price that tells you punters weren't convinced his new rating was fair, and the race, as Hannon puts it, bore that out.

Sean Levey has been the regular jockey, riding him in 8 of his 20 races and winning once together, a partnership that has largely been forged at Class 4 level — the bread-and-butter tier where solid, consistent horses spend most of their careers. He has won just 1 of his 10 races at that level, which underlines that even in the division where he belongs, wins are hard to come by.

What gives this story a genuinely interesting next chapter is Hannon's suggestion that five furlongs — a very short, speed-focused distance — might suit him better than what he's been doing. He has loads of speed, the trainer says, and there are big races over that trip that could be worth targeting if the yard can find the right opportunity. For now, that 8lb penalty is the obstacle, and until the handicapper takes some of it back, Wheels Of Fire is in the position most racehorses find themselves in at some point: penalised for doing exactly what you want them to do.