Merlin The Wizard

His recent run of results tells the story well. Reading the last six races from most recent to oldest: a win, a win, an eighth, a third, a fifth, and a second. That wobble in the middle — two races where he barely featured — might have made you wonder whether his best days were behind him. They were not. He has come back with back-to-back wins, the most recent of which came at Ballinrobe just this week. He raced yesterday. The horse is live and firing.

The partnership with jockey Hollie Doyle is worth noting. In seven races together, they have won two — a win rate of 29%, or nearly 1 in every 3.5 races. That is meaningfully better than his overall career average, which suggests the combination suits him. Doyle is one of the most recognisable jockeys in Britain and Ireland right now, and when a horse consistently performs above its usual level with the same rider, it tends to mean the two have found a rhythm together.

He is trained by R P Cody, based at Dunnamaggin in County Kilkenny, a yard that has sent out six winners already this season. Merlin The Wizard has been doing his share of that work. At his most common level of competition — Class 4, which sits in the middle tier of British and Irish racing — he has won two from four races, a 50% win rate. Winning half your races at any level is a serious record, and it tells you this is a horse who belongs at that level and knows how to compete there.

His first career win came at Kempton Park in June 2023. Three years later, he is still running, still winning, and apparently improving. For a racing fan tracking horses with form and momentum, Merlin The Wizard is exactly the kind of horse you want on your radar right now.