Never Let Go

Walker, who operates out of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire and has sent out 76 winners this season alone, had been desperate to get Never Let Go into the Ascot race. The problem was that entry was restricted to horses who had earned enough black type — essentially a racing CV badge earned by placing or winning in recognised Pattern races. She hadn't qualified through her normal route, so Walker took a calculated detour: he ran her in a Listed race at Goodwood, where she finished placed by less than a length. That was enough to earn the black type, enough to bump her rating, and enough to get her through the door. "I was desperate to run her here," Walker admitted afterwards, and the gamble paid off perfectly. Jockey Kieran Shoemark gave her an excellent ride, and she won.

What makes that victory more impressive is the path it took to get there. Walker had been eyeing the Ascot race for some time, only to watch qualification slip away when she didn't win at Wetherby, then didn't win at Haydock. It's the kind of frustrating series of near-misses that tests a trainer's patience — and his belief in a horse. Walker clearly never lost faith, and the Ascot win justified every bit of it.

Her recent form reads 1-2-5-2-6-12 going back six races, which shows she can mix brilliant performances with quieter days — not unusual for a horse stepping up into more competitive company. Her first win came at Wolverhampton in December 2024, and since then she has climbed the ladder steadily. At Class 4 level she wins 1 in every 4 races, but it's the Ascot result that defines where she really belongs. She raced again just yesterday, so there is clearly more to come from a horse that Walker believes is still ahead of the handicapper.