Friends Don't Ask

That single win came at Uttoxeter on 26 July 2024, and it remains the only time Friends Don't Ask has been first past the post in its career. It was 24 months ago at time of writing, and the horse hasn't managed to repeat it since — going winless across its last six races. What keeps things interesting is the consistency in those six runs: a sequence of 3-2-4-2-3-3 reads like a horse who is perpetually in the conversation without ever quite winning it. Two runner-up finishes in there suggest the talent exists; converting it is another matter.

The partnership with jockey Brendan Powell, who has ridden the horse six times without a win between them, hasn't found the formula yet. Trainer Clare Ellam's yard has sent out two winners this season, so the operation is capable of getting horses to the line first — just not this one, not yet. Friends Don't Ask typically races at Class 5, one of the lower rungs of the sport, and has won 1 from 7 at that level — roughly 1 in every 7 races, or 14%, which is actually a more respectable conversion rate than its overall record suggests. The problem is the gaps between those moments.

Raced just yesterday, Friends Don't Ask is clearly still an active and willing participant at 11. Horses at this age are often winding down, so there is something quietly admirable about one still turning up, still placing, still giving chases a go. Whether another win is coming is harder to say — but for a horse whose entire career has been built on almost, you suspect those close finishes aren't over just yet.