Jonquil

What makes Jonquil particularly striking is where those wins have come. The two Class 1 victories — at Newbury in April 2025 and Goodwood in August 2025 — place Jonquil firmly in the top tier of British racing. These are not convenient wins against weak fields; Class 1 races are the best of the best, the ones that matter. Add in a first career win at Sandown in the summer of 2024 and a more recent success at Ascot in May 2026, and you have a horse that has won at four different major tracks. That kind of versatility is rarer than it sounds.

In the last six races, Jonquil has shown a pattern worth noting: brilliant one day, frustrating the next. The sequence reads 7-9-1-7-1-5 — two wins sandwiched between some disappointing finishes. But that inconsistency is almost forgivable given the level of competition. At the top of the sport, even good horses have off days, and the fact that Jonquil keeps returning to win at Class 1 level is what matters most. The horse raced just yesterday, which tells you the team has no hesitation keeping Jonquil active and in the mix.

Behind Jonquil is Andrew Balding's yard at Kingsclere in Hampshire, one of the most productive training operations in Britain right now. With 202 winners sent out this season alone, Balding's team are not just ticking over — they are operating at a remarkable tempo. When a yard of that size and confidence keeps entering a horse at the very highest level, that is a signal worth paying attention to. Jonquil is clearly one they believe in, and looking at the record, it is not hard to see why.