Oakley

Williams has spoken warmly about what makes Oakley tick — and what makes him complicated. He needs to be held up and brought late into a race, saving his energy for a big finish rather than mixing it early on. That approach paid off spectacularly at Hereford, where he came from last to first over two miles and three and a half furlongs on wet ground to win in a way that the trainer described as making it look easy. It was the kind of performance that catches the eye of the officials who set the weights, and sure enough they hit him with an 8lb rise — now sitting at a career-high mark, which means he has to carry more weight and run against better horses than before. That is the downside of winning too impressively.

His best racing comes on normal ground, where he has won 2 of his 9 races — around 1 in every 4 or 5 — which is a meaningfully better return than his overall record suggests. His most recent win came at Uttoxeter just three weeks ago in late June 2026, which shows he is in form and clearly still enjoying his racing. Before that, his first career win came at Dundalk back in November 2023, so he has been a slow but steady accumulator of wins across a long career.

One puzzle worth noting is his record with regular partner Danny Mullins — 0 wins from 7 races together, a partnership that has yet to click despite the volume of shared runs. And his record in the better-quality Class 4 races is 0 from 4, suggesting he finds life tougher when the standard rises. Williams had him primed for a run at Warwick recently, only for the meeting to be abandoned, which will have frustrated a yard that has sent out just 3 winners this season and needs every good opportunity it can get. Oakley's next run will be worth watching.