Alnilam

The most striking number on his record is what happens when the rain comes. On wet or muddy ground, Alnilam has won 3 of his 4 races — a 75% win rate. That kind of figure is almost unheard of, and it tells you this is a horse who doesn't just tolerate testing conditions but genuinely thrives in them. His trainer Olly Murphy knows it too: after winning one of the top races in Britain at Cheltenham in October 2025, Murphy was already talking about getting him back on slow ground, saying he believes Alnilam will be an even better horse for it. The Cheltenham win — a Class 2 on the famous Prestbury Park course — was his second top-level success of the season, following a Class 2 at Southwell on New Year's Day.

Alnilam is also a horse who hits his stride over a particular distance. Between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, he has won 5 of 9 races — that's 56%, more than half the time he lines up at his optimum trip. And he's shown he can do it at different venues, including Kelso in Scotland, where he has won 2 of 3 races and is developing into a genuine course specialist.

Murphy has been open about just how impressed he's been by the horse's move from hurdles to fences. After an impressive chasing debut at Uttoxeter, he described Alnilam as "not a slouch" — something of an understatement given the Cheltenham success that followed — and talked openly about targeting Grade 2 company and graded novice chases. The yard itself has sent out 146 winners this season, so Murphy clearly knows what a good horse looks like, and he sounds genuinely excited about where this one could go. With the partnership of Sean Bowen in the saddle — the pair have won 3 from 8 together, roughly 1 in every 3 rides — Alnilam looks like a horse very much on the way up.