Novello Lad

His most recent win came at Pontefract on 6 August 2025, and it was one that his trainer Paul Midgley had seen building for a while. Midgley, who operates out of Westow in North Yorkshire and has sent out an impressive 37 winners already this season, explained that Novello Lad is a horse who needs everything to fall into place — specifically, he needs other horses to go fast enough early on so he can settle into his own rhythm. Over shorter distances he can relax, and then his stamina becomes a weapon in the final stages. At Pontefract, the race set up perfectly for him. He switched off, got into position, and delivered exactly when it mattered.

The partnership with jockey David Nolan is worth noting. Of Nolan's 13 rides on Novello Lad, three have ended in victory — a win rate of 23%, or nearly 1 in every 4 races together. That is a significantly better return than the horse's overall career average and suggests Nolan has a genuine feel for how to ride him.

Midgley also believes there may be more to come. He has said Novello Lad could still be well placed in the weights, meaning the horse might be competing at a level where he has a better chance than his record currently suggests. His first win came at Doncaster in June 2024, and he has been quietly building since. Recent form of a win followed by a second suggests he is in decent shape right now — one to keep an eye on if the race conditions suit.