The career started quietly. A twentieth-place finish and a seventh suggest early races where Lion Of Mali was finding its feet, which is not unusual for a young horse still figuring out what is being asked of it. But then things clicked. A first win came at Wolverhampton in February 2026, and from that point the record reads: win, second, first, second. That is four consecutive placed finishes including two wins — a horse that has gone from also-ran to genuine contender in a matter of months.
The most recent of those wins came at Kempton Park just two weeks ago, which means Lion Of Mali arrives at its next race in form and confidence. Winning back-to-back in the space of a few weeks tells you the horse is thriving right now — it is not one of those horses that looks good on paper but takes months between performances. It is fit, it is competing, and it is winning.
Behind all of this is James Fanshawe, one of Newmarket's most consistent trainers. His yard has sent out 44 winners already this season, which is the kind of output that does not happen by accident — it reflects a team that knows how to get horses ready to run their best races. For Lion Of Mali to be one of those winners, twice, suggests Fanshawe has found a horse with genuine ability and has managed its development carefully.
Three years old, two wins, and a run of form that would make most stables happy — Lion Of Mali is the kind of horse that rewards keeping an eye on. The real question now is whether it can step up from the all-weather tracks where it has found its form and prove itself on a bigger stage. At this point in its career, that is exactly the right question to be asking.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 other | 6 Feb | 50% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 second | 1 Apr | 50% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Sep | 0% |
| chelmsford | 1 | 1 other | 21 Aug | 0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 6 Nov | 0% |