Kodiac Thriller

The most recent win came at Ripon on 16 April 2026, just three weeks ago, which means Kodiac Thriller arrives here in form rather than on the back of a distant memory. Before that, the first win of the career came at Lingfield Park on 23 December 2023 — a nice Christmas present for the team. The yard behind this horse belongs to Mark Walford, operating out of Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire, and it has been a productive season: 35 winners sent out so far, which is the kind of number that tells you a trainer has horses in good heart and knows when to run them.

The distance range where Kodiac Thriller looks most dangerous is seven furlongs to a mile, winning 1 from 4 races over that trip — a 25% win rate that stands out sharply against its overall record. That is a horse that finds its best rhythm at that particular distance, and it is worth noting when the conditions are right. Rhys Elliott, who has partnered the horse five times and won once together, sits at a 1-in-5 win rate in that combination — better than the overall career average — which suggests a jockey who understands what this horse needs.

The recent form reads 10-1-17-7-4-4, which tells a nuanced story: two solid fourth-place finishes, then a seventh, then a win, then a wide-margin run that can probably be set aside, and most recently a runner-up. That is a horse that came to life in the spring and has been running with purpose since. With Walford's yard firing and a recent win already banked this season, Kodiac Thriller looks like a horse that has more to offer before the year is out.