King Ulanda

The horse's best work comes on fast, dry ground and at distances around two miles, where his natural speed can be an asset. He won most recently at Uttoxeter three months ago, and his partnership with jockey Toby Wynne has proved fruitful: when they team up, Wynne wins in four out of every ten races, a win rate well above what King Ulanda manages overall. His trainers, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero at their Oldcastle yard in Cheshire, have built a productive operation — they sent out 43 winners this season alone — and they have identified what works for this horse: good ground, a sharp pace, and a course where he can settle into his rhythm.

The challenge is that King Ulanda's record in top-class races has been thin. In Class 1 or 2 contests, he has managed just one win from eleven attempts, a stark difference to his overall win rate. That suggests he is at home in lower-tier races where the competition is less intense. His recent outing at Haydock did not go to plan — he made mistakes and faded quickly, a performance the yard attributes to the ground conditions rather than any loss of form. With the right surface underfoot and distance, King Ulanda remains a horse worth following, but he is one whose wins will likely come at modest tracks rather than the big occasions.