Wilful

The most striking entry on his CV is a Class 1 victory at Ascot in December 2025 — one of the top races in Britain, on one of the most prestigious stages in the sport. That alone marks him out as something special. And the trajectory since then has only continued upward: he won at Cheltenham on 13 March 2026, just seven weeks ago, prompting jockey Jonjo O'Neill Jr to joke afterwards that perhaps they should have left him in the Champion Hurdle rather than the race he ran in. That is not false modesty — it is the kind of comment you make when a horse surprises even the people closest to him.

Conditions matter enormously with Wilful. Put him on slightly soft, wet ground and he transforms: four wins from five attempts in those conditions is an 80% record, which is almost unheard of. His trainer has specifically noted that those proper competitive races run at a strong pace over around two miles suit him best — and the numbers back that up, with two wins from three races at that distance. Interestingly, he has yet to win in four attempts at Class 2 level, which sits just below the top tier. That might sound like a weakness, but given he has already beaten Class 1 company, it may simply reflect the quirks of how his campaign has been managed rather than a ceiling on his ability.

The partnership with Jonjo O'Neill Jr is also worth noting. Together they have won 7 of their 14 races — exactly 1 in every 2 — a remarkable ratio that suggests horse and jockey have a real understanding. Trained by the O'Neill family yard in Cheltenham, a yard that has sent out 52 winners already this season, Wilful is very much one of its star turns heading into the spring.