Lion Of The Desert

The turnaround began at Ffos Las in Wales on 21 April 2026, when Lion Of The Desert took its first career win. What happened next is what makes this interesting: it went back to Ffos Las and won again. Two wins from just three races at that track is the kind of record that makes trainers keep coming back, and it suggests the course — a tight, flat circuit in Carmarthenshire — genuinely suits the way this horse runs. Not every horse finds a track that brings the best out of them, but when one does, it matters.

Grace Harris, based at Shirenewton in Gwent, trains the horse, and her yard is having a productive season — 31 winners already. A trainer sending out that volume of winners from a Welsh base is no small achievement, and Lion Of The Desert is clearly contributing. Joe Anderson does most of the riding, and their partnership has produced 2 wins from 8 races together — a win rate of 25%, or roughly 1 in every 4 races, which is a solid return for any jockey-horse combination.

Normal ground conditions suit this horse well: 2 wins from 6 races on a standard surface, winning a third of those runs. That 33% win rate on good ground is notably better than its overall career average of 18%, or roughly 1 in every 5.5 races across the board. Where it has genuinely struggled is at the higher end of competition — 0 wins from 4 attempts at Class 5 level, which is a little puzzling given its recent form, and something worth watching if the team decides to test it at that level again.

The most recent win came at Stratford-on-Avon on 30 June 2026 — this week. A horse winning at one course and racing again within 24 hours is a horse that is fit, confident, and in the hands of a team who know exactly what they are doing with it right now.