Woodland Park

His trainer Olly Murphy, based at Wilmcote in Warwickshire, is clearly a man who knows what he's doing — 146 winners this season from his yard is the kind of output that puts you firmly among the best operators in Britain. Murphy has spoken warmly about Woodland Park's potential, and the raw material has always been there. The first win came at Market Rasen in April 2024, and the second followed at Leicester in November of the same year. Since then, though, it's been a run of six races without a victory — the most recent effort was just yesterday, and Woodland Park picked up a place, so the competitive edge hasn't gone anywhere.

One number that stands out is Woodland Park's record on wet, slightly soft ground: 2 wins from just 3 races, a 67% win rate. That is extraordinary. For context, that means almost every time conditions have suited him, he's won. The problem is those conditions don't come up every week, and most of his racing has been on firmer or more normal ground, where the record drops sharply. If the skies open up before a race, this is a horse whose name is suddenly worth paying attention to.

Sean Bowen has been the regular pilot, riding Woodland Park in 9 of his 10 races and winning twice — roughly 1 in every 4 times they've partnered. That's a solid combination, and the consistency of the pairing suggests the team believe Bowen understands the horse. Most of Woodland Park's racing has come at Class 3 level, a decent but not elite grade, where he's won 1 from 5 — competitive, but not yet dominant. The story heading into his next run is simple: a horse that was last seen threatening on the track yesterday, whose best is clearly unlocked by a wet forecast, and whose trainer hasn't given up on him finding another winning day.