Hillview

Now a 10-year-old trained by Gary Hanmer at his yard in Tattenhall, Cheshire, Hillview has a career record that tells two different tales. Across 17 races in total, this horse has won 5 times and finished in the frame on 10 other occasions — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 3 races, which is genuinely impressive over a career. But those wins are firmly in the past. Hillview has not won in six races, and the last victory came 46 months ago. In horse racing terms, that is a long time to be waiting.

The partnership with jockey Sean Bowen is one of the more interesting threads in this story. In 13 races together, Bowen has ridden Hillview to all 5 of its wins — a win rate of 38%, or nearly 2 in every 5 rides. That is an unusually tight and productive combination, and it suggests that when this horse is right, Bowen knows exactly how to get the best from it. The question is whether that version of Hillview is still there.

At the level Hillview typically competes — among the better-quality races in Britain — the record reads 1 win from 6 attempts, or just 17%, about 1 in 6. That single win was the Uttoxeter Class 2 in 2022, which means this horse has shown it can beat good company, but has found it hard to repeat the trick. The recent form figures — finishing fourth at best across the last six outings — suggest a horse that is competitive enough to place but not quite finding that extra gear when it matters.

After a break of 71 days, Hillview returns to the track with something to prove. Gary Hanmer's yard has been in decent shape this season, sending out 19 winners, so the preparation will have been professional. Whether Hillview can rediscover what it showed that summer afternoon at Uttoxeter is the real question — and for anyone who saw that win, it is a question worth sticking around to answer.