Ninety Nine

Most of its racing life has been spent in Class 6, the entry-level tier of British racing, and even there the record makes for sobering reading — just 1 win from 21 races at that level, or around 1 in every 21 attempts. That single win came at Catterick Bridge back in October 2024, now nearly 19 months ago, and it remains the most recent bright spot in a career that opened with a first victory at Hamilton Park in June 2023. Two wins, then, from two very different northern tracks, and not much between them.

The recent form offers little encouragement. Looking at the last six runs, the finishing positions read 8, 2, 14, 7, 10, 7 — scattered and inconsistent, with a promising second place sandwiched between some disappointing efforts. There is no building momentum here, no sense that a win is just around the corner. The horse raced just yesterday, which at least confirms it is fit and active, but John Wainwright's yard in Norton, North Yorkshire — which has sent out four winners this season — will know they need something to click for Ninety Nine to rediscover that winning feeling.

What keeps things interesting is that second place. It is a reminder that Ninety Nine can still perform on its day, still trouble the front-runners, still make a race of it. Horses at this level are often defined not by their wins but by their reliability and their ability to stay competitive, and Ninety Nine has certainly done that across a busy career. Whether another win comes depends on finding the right race on the right day — but at five years old, there is still time.