Matata

The headline achievement is hard to ignore: Matata won a Class 1 race at Cheltenham on New Year's Day 2026, meaning it beat the very best in Britain at one of the most famous racecourses in the world. That is the kind of win that defines a career. It had already shown it belonged at that level with a Class 2 win at Cheltenham in November 2024, and another at Windsor in January 2025, so the big day felt earned rather than accidental. Cheltenham in particular seems to bring something out of this horse — it has won there twice from eight visits, which sounds modest until you consider how difficult that track is. Cheltenham sorts horses out. It rewards jumping ability, stamina, and nerve. Matata keeps passing that test.

Conditions matter too. On normal ground, Matata is a different animal entirely — 4 wins from just 8 races, meaning it wins fully half the time when the track is neither waterlogged nor baked hard. That 50% win rate on standard ground is extraordinary. Most horses at this level would be celebrated for winning 1 in every 5.

The yard behind Matata, Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies at Naunton in Gloucestershire, have sent out 57 winners this season alone — a seriously productive operation. Jockey Daryl Jacob has partnered the horse in 10 of its 24 races and won 3 of them, a win rate of 30%, which is well above average and suggests a genuine understanding between horse and rider. Matata raced 17 days ago and remains active, meaning another run is likely coming soon.

The only note of caution: when Matata steps up to Class 1 level — the very top tier — it wins just 1 from 9 races, or roughly 1 in every 9. That New Year's Day victory at Cheltenham is the exception so far, not the rule. But exceptions at that track, on that day, have a way of sticking in the memory.