Marvelman
Marvelman has become something of a frustration for his the yard at Kingsclere — a horse who has shown genuine Class 1 form on his best days but has not found the winner's circle in over a year. The four-year-old won a top-tier race at Doncaster in September 2025, a performance that suggested real promise at the highest level, yet he has managed only that one victory at the top grade from six attempts. His overall record of 2 wins from 15 races tells the story: he finishes in the top 3 regularly enough to prove he belongs among serious competition, but lacks the consistency to rack up victories. He has finished in the top 3 eight times from his last dozen races, which shows he turns up to run, but something keeps him short of the line when it counts.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
Bond Thoroughbred Limited
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
What makes Marvelman worth watching is his form over distances of seven furlongs to a mile, where he has won 2 of his 10 races — a win rate of one victory in every five attempts. That is solid enough to suggest he has a distance where he runs to his best, and Andrew Balding's stable at Kingsclere has the firepower to target those opportunities. His partnership with jockey Oisin Murphy has been the bright spot: the pair have won twice from six races together, a 33% win rate that is significantly better than his overall form. Murphy rode him to that Doncaster Class 1 victory and clearly understands how to get the best from him. Marvelman raced just a day ago, so he remains active and in work. At four years old, he is still young enough to add to his tally, but the thirteen-month gap since his last win suggests he may be searching for another breakthrough moment.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Well suited by 7f – 1m distances: 20% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 5 starts
⚠ Poor record on good_to_firm ground: 0 wins from 3 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Unknown
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Avoids
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Avoids
🏅 Race level
Class 2 (high-level)
Unknown
Class 4 (standard)
Unknown
Class 5 (entry-level)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Right-handed, long straights
Likes
Left-handed, long straights
Likes
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, tight
Unknown
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
17 Oct
15th
Ascot
5f – 6½f · Good · 16 runners
5 Sep
8th
Haydock Park
5f – 6½f · Soft · 9 runners
22 Aug
3rd
York
7f – 1m · Good_To_Soft · 14 runners
28 Jul
6th
Goodwood
7f – 1m · Good · 8 runners
27 Jun
2nd
Newcastle
5f – 6½f · Standard_To_Slow · 12 runners
18 Oct
14th
Ascot
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 16 runners
13 Sep
🏆 Won
Doncaster
7f – 1m · Soft · 11 runners
16 Aug
3rd
Newbury
7f – 1m · Good_To_Firm · 10 runners
12 Jul
3rd
Chester
7f – 1m · Good · 8 runners
21 Jun
9th
Ascot
7f – 1m · Good_To_Firm · 15 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Ascot Galloping |
3 |
3 other |
17 Oct |
0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
2 |
1 second, 1 third |
16 Aug |
0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
2 |
1 second, 1 other |
2 May |
0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
1 |
1 win |
26 Mar |
100% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 |
1 win |
13 Sep |
100% |
| Chester Tight |
1 |
1 third |
12 Jul |
0% |
| Salisbury Undulating |
1 |
1 second |
3 Oct |
0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
1 |
1 second |
27 Jun |
0% |
| York Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
22 Aug |
0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
5 Sep |
0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
1 |
1 other |
28 Jul |
0% |