It's A Love Thing

The overall record — 8 wins and 16 places from 49 races — tells the story of a horse that is competitive more often than it wins. That is not a criticism. Finishing in the top three in nearly half of all its races is genuinely useful, and it suggests a horse that rarely has a truly bad day. It just does not always have the finishing kick to go all the way. Most of its racing has been at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter end of the sport, and even there it has won just 2 from 23 races at that level — about 1 in every 12 — which gives you a sense of how competitive even the lower tiers can be.

The horse is trained by Sam England at a yard in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, which has been having a productive season — 53 winners sent out so far. Jonathan England, who shares the surname and likely the family connection, rides it most often, though their partnership has produced just 1 win from 10 races together. The most recent win came at Pontefract on 30 April 2025, so it has been over eleven months since it last reached the winner's enclosure. The last six runs have brought finishing positions of fourth, third, eighth, sixth, seventh, and eighth — a sequence that points to a horse finding things a little tougher right now.

At 8 years old and still racing actively — it ran just 18 days ago — It's A Love Thing is a seasoned campaigner who knows its job. It may not be troubling the top races anytime soon, but keep an eye on it next time the race card shows Wolverhampton. That is when this horse tends to mean business.