JPR One

The big wins tell the story. He has claimed two Class 1 victories — the very best races in Britain — at Exeter, a track where he has won twice from just three visits. That is the record of a horse who doesn't just cope with a course, he thrives on it. His most recent win came in a Class 2 race at Musselburgh in January 2026, where trainer Joe Tizzard noted he loved stepping up in distance and was giving significant weight to every other horse in the field. That kind of performance against a weight disadvantage is what separates a good horse from a smart one.

Jockey Brendan Powell has been alongside him for most of the journey, winning 7 of their 21 races together — roughly 1 in every 3. That is a partnership built on familiarity, and it shows. Tizzard, whose yard at Milborne Port in Dorset has sent out 58 winners this season alone, has spoken warmly about the horse's current form, suggesting a front-running approach could bring out even more. JPR One apparently fell at the last in an Arkle Trial when he was going well enough to win, which is the kind of near-miss that tends to stick in a trainer's mind.

What makes JPR One genuinely compelling is how he has scaled up to the biggest occasions. At Cheltenham — the sport's most demanding stage — Tizzard described it as probably his best ever season, and said the horse got his blood up coming down the hill. He didn't quite last home, but the trainer immediately started talking about Aintree, then Punchestown. That is not what you do with a horse you are managing down. With the Ryanair Chase also floated as a possible target, JPR One is a nine-year-old who still has people reaching for the calendar.