Windance

Both of those wins came in a tight window in early 2023: first at Fontwell Park in February, then at Wincanton the following month. The Wincanton victory was a memorable one. His trainer Anthony Honeyball admitted he feared the race was slipping away mid-contest, but Windance simply found another level at the fences — gaining ground at every jump when it mattered most. That kind of jumping ability, turning each obstacle into an advantage rather than just something to survive, is a genuinely useful weapon. It has not fired since, however. That Wincanton win was 38 months ago, and the last six races have not produced a single victory.

Ground matters with Windance. On soft or slightly wet conditions, he has won 2 of his 8 races — a 25% win rate that translates to roughly 1 in every 4 outings. That is a meaningful number, suggesting he finds his best form when the ground has some give in it. Honeyball has also been candid about the fact that a tendon injury forced a significant gap in Windance's career at one point, which helps explain why a horse of his age has only 12 races on the clock.

He raced just yesterday, so he is very much still active. The bulk of his racing has come at Class 4 level — solid mid-tier competition — where he has won 1 from 5, a 20% win rate. Nothing spectacular, but nothing to be ashamed of either. At 11, most horses are winding down or already retired. The fact that Windance is still lining up, still placing, and still described by his trainer as a straightforward horse to deal with, says something about his constitution. Whether another win is coming is an open question, but he has shown before that he can produce one when conditions suit.