No Ordinary Joe

His record at Class 2 level — the upper tier of British racing — tells you two things at once. Zero wins from 12 races sounds like failure, but getting into 12 races at that level in the first place means he belongs there. Horses do not get entered in those contests by accident. Trainer Faye Bramley, who has sent out 19 winners from her Lambourn yard this season, has pointed him specifically at the big staying hurdle races, and he has hit the frame in some notable ones — finishing second in a Martin Pipe and third in a Greatwood, two of the most competitive races of their kind. Those are the sort of results that keep a trainer believing.

The most recent chapter is the most intriguing. He won at Sandown Park just four weeks ago — his first win since a December 2022 success at Kempton — and he was out racing again just yesterday. That Sandown win broke a long dry spell, and the fact the team moved him straight back into action suggests they are in no mood to let the momentum slip.

His recent form reads 6-13-1-7-7-13, which is mixed at best, but that bold figure 1 — a win — sits right in the middle of it, a reminder that on the right day he can still do it. Regular rider Benjamin Macey has yet to win on him in five attempts together, which is one of those frustrating statistics that racing throws up with no obvious explanation. Whether that partnership clicks eventually is one of the small subplots worth watching. At ten, time is not unlimited — but No Ordinary Joe is still racing, still competitive, and still one good day away from the win his trainer has long believed he is capable of.