Ancient Wisdom

The overall numbers back up the impression. From 15 races, this horse has won 5 and placed in 11 — that's a win rate of 33%, meaning it wins roughly 1 in every 3 races, and finishes in the top three nearly every time it competes. More striking still is where those wins have come: three of the five have been at the top level, Class 1 races — the elite tier of British racing. Winning one of those takes something special. Winning three of them before the age of five puts Ancient Wisdom in serious company.

The partnership with jockey William Buick has been productive too. In 11 races together, Buick has steered Ancient Wisdom to 3 wins — that's a win rate of 27%, or roughly 1 in every 4 rides ending in victory. Both are trained out of Charlie Appleby's operation in Newmarket, a yard that has sent out 121 winners already this season. That is an extraordinary level of output — it means Appleby's team is producing winners at a relentless pace, and Ancient Wisdom is one of its more decorated horses.

The caveat worth noting is that Ancient Wisdom hasn't won in its last six races, with the most recent victory coming at Newmarket in July 2024 — now two years ago. Recent form reads 11-3-2-2-5-2, which shows plenty of placed efforts but no trip to the winner's enclosure. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly still being campaigned actively, and its the yard haven't given up on finding that next win. At its best distance — between seven furlongs and a mile — it wins 2 from 3, a 67% rate that suggests the right conditions can still bring the best out of it. The question now is whether another trip to its favourite track can spark something.