Chuzzlewit

His two wins came at modest odds. The first, at Ayr in September 2022, arrived when he was younger and reportedly still green and backward according to his then-trainer Kevin Ryan — suggesting there was room for improvement. The second win came at Newcastle in March 2024, but that was 30 months ago now. These days, in the lower tiers where he typically competes (Class 4 races), he wins roughly 1 in every 14 attempts. Since moving to the yard of Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood at Norton in Yorkshire, he has not found the winner's circle, though the partnership with Tom Eaves, who has ridden him most often, has been particularly fruitless — zero wins from 15 races together.

The trainers have offered glimpses of why they continue with him. One noted that an earlier race at the Lincoln, run on very wet, muddy ground, saw Chuzzlewit travel with promise before losing his way in the soft conditions, and suggested he might be better suited to firmer turf and summer races over 7 furlongs to a mile. There was once real optimism here. That earlier voice, from Ayr, spoke of not knowing how good he could be. Three years later, Chuzzlewit is still looking for that breakthrough. He remains active, racing regularly, but the gap between what was hoped for and what has actually arrived has become impossible to ignore.