Marble Sands

The headline achievement is hard to argue with: three wins at Class 1 level, the highest grade the sport offers. That means Marble Sands has beaten the best horses in Britain on three separate occasions, at Huntingdon in February 2023, Carlisle in November 2024, and most recently Cheltenham in November 2025. Cheltenham is racing's most famous and demanding track — the place every horse's career is ultimately measured against — and winning there at the top level is not something many horses ever manage once, let alone as part of a pattern. Across those 13 Class 1 races, Marble Sands has won 3, or roughly 1 in every 4, which is a remarkable return at that standard.

Recent form only adds to the picture. Reading the last six runs from newest to oldest — a fall or unseated, then second, a win, second, a distant twelfth, second — you see a horse that is almost always in the mix. The blip of twelfth place and the most recent blank are worth noting, but a horse of this age and quality is entitled to the occasional off day, and the win sandwiched between them came at Cheltenham, which puts it firmly in context.

The training operation behind Marble Sands is David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, based in Stow-on-the-Wold in the Gloucestershire countryside. Their yard has already sent out 19 winners this season, which tells you this is a busy, in-form team. In the saddle, Nick Slatter rides Marble Sands more than anyone else — they've won 2 of their 8 races together, a 25% win rate, and there's clearly a working partnership there worth watching.

One detail that stands out: on normal ground conditions, Marble Sands wins 2 from 5, or 40% of the time. That's a noticeably higher rate than the overall average, suggesting that when conditions suit, the horse moves up another gear. Last raced 29 days ago, Marble Sands is still very much in business.