Chief Sunday

Both of his wins have come on wet or muddy ground, and that is where things get genuinely interesting. In four races on soft conditions, he has won twice — that is a 50% win rate, which is an extraordinary figure by any measure. For context, even the very best trainers in the country rarely win half their races. On normal or faster ground, he is a different proposition entirely: competitive enough to place, but not quite able to get his head in front. The mud is not just a preference for Chief Sunday — it appears to be a near-requirement.

Those two wins came at Market Rasen in November 2024 and then Hereford in January 2025, but he has not won in six races since. His recent form shows a mix of mid-pack finishes and a couple of runs marked with dashes — races where he may not have finished — and his last run was just nine days ago, so he is clearly still being kept busy. The yard running him is that of Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, a well-established Gloucestershire operation that has sent out 57 winners already this season, so they clearly know what they are doing. Sam Twiston-Davies, who is part of the same family, rides Chief Sunday most often — ten times together for one win, a 10% win rate — and it is a safe bet that when a soft-ground opportunity arises, he will be the man in the saddle.

At his level — Class 4, which sits in the middle tier of British racing — Chief Sunday has won just once from eight attempts, or roughly 1 in every 8 races at that grade. He is the kind of horse who needs conditions to fall right before he delivers, but when they do, he has shown he is more than capable. Keep an eye on the weather forecast.