Auntie Jo

Both of her career wins have come at Newcastle, and she has finished in the top three on six other occasions there too. From 12 visits to that track, she has won twice and placed a further six times — meaning she has given her backers something to cheer about on 8 of those 12 trips. For a horse who has come up empty almost everywhere else, that kind of loyalty to one venue is genuinely unusual. Newcastle clearly suits her, whether that's the shape of the track, the surface, or simply the distance — but whatever the reason, she turns up there and performs.

Auntie Jo is trained by David O'Meara at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire, and she is in excellent hands. O'Meara's yard has sent out 107 winners already this season, which marks it out as one of the most productive operations in the north of England. Her most regular partner in the saddle is Mark Winn, who has ridden her in 8 of her races and been aboard for 1 of her wins together. That ongoing partnership matters — a jockey who knows a horse's quirks can make the difference at the critical moment.

Her recent form makes her look like a horse in the form of her life. In her last six races she has finished seventh, fourth, fourth, ninth, second, and then — just this week, on 2 June 2026 — first. That win at Newcastle came only days after this profile was written, her second career victory at the same track where she got off the mark back in March. Two wins at the same course within three months suggests this is no fluke.

One small puzzle: the overwhelming majority of her races have come at Class 6, the entry-level tier of British flat racing, and she has yet to win at that level despite clearly being competitive. Both wins have come when conditions and course have aligned perfectly. On normal ground at Newcastle, she is a horse worth watching — and right now, she is in form.