Zooks

Those two wins have both come over longer distances, between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, where Zooks has won 2 of its 20 races at that trip. That 10% win rate over a longer distance is noticeably better than its overall record, which suggests this is a horse that needs time to warm up and doesn't want to be rushed. Short, sharp races are not its game.

Trained by Ian Williams at his yard in Portway, Worcestershire, Zooks is part of a genuinely productive operation — Williams has sent out 96 winners already this season, so he clearly knows how to place a horse. Most of Zooks's appearances have come in Class 6 races, which is the entry level of British racing, and even there it has won just 2 of 25 starts (8%). That is not a dominant record, but placing 16 times at any level takes consistency and soundness, and Zooks has both.

Billy Loughnane rides Zooks most often, and together they have won 1 from 8 races — roughly 1 in every 8 times they team up. The pair have clearly built a working relationship, though the wins have not exactly flowed. The last victory came at Ffos Las in Wales on 29 July 2025, and that was now nine months ago. The recent form — finishing 7th, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 7th, and 2nd across the last six races — shows flickers of promise without ever delivering the win. That second place in particular will have been agonising for anyone following along.

Zooks raced just one day ago and is very much an active runner. For a horse with this profile, the question is always the same: can it find a race where everything clicks, the distance suits, the conditions are right, and it finally gets its head in front again? It has done it twice before, so it knows how.