One Horse Town
One Horse Town has won a top-level race at Cheltenham and is still chasing better things at four years old, but he is in a curious holding pattern right now. His career record of 5 wins from 17 races—roughly winning one in every three or four attempts—tells the story of a solid, reliable performer who can beat decent opposition on his day. That Class 1 victory at Cheltenham in November 2025 was the high point, a genuine result that trainer
Harry Derham described as "extremely satisfying" and a moment that proved the horse deserved his place in bigger races. But the last eleven months have been quieter. He has not won since that November afternoon, picking up places in his last six runs but nothing more, which suggests he may have found his ceiling in top company.
Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
The Jo Cool Syndicate
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
What makes One Horse Town genuinely interesting is his gift for certain tracks and distances. Over longer races—two miles or more—he wins roughly 4 in every 9 attempts, a 44 percent win rate that marks him out as a horse built for the marathon. At Kempton Park he is even sharper, winning 2 of his 4 races there, making it his spiritual home. Paul O'Brien, his regular jockey, has a similar knack with him: they have combined for 4 wins from 9 races together, a partnership that clearly clicks. Derham, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, clearly rates him highly enough to aim at prestigious targets. The trainer mentioned the Triumph Hurdle—one of the sport's showcase races for young horses—as a genuine possibility, though he was candid that bigger names like Narciso Has look more like sure things. For now, One Horse Town remains a horse with proven ability at the top level, a course specialist who goes best at distance, and a horse still capable of better things despite his recent lean spell.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Well suited by Long Distance (2m+) distances: 44% win rate
✔ Effective partnership with Paul O'Brien: 44% win rate together
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on standard ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Poor record on soft ground: 0 wins from 3 starts
⚠ Struggles on LH Galloping tracks: 1 wins from 8 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Likes
Good to soft (some give)
Likes
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Unknown
Yielding (slightly soft)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Unknown
Standard (all-weather)
Avoids
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Loves
🏅 Race level
Class 2 (high-level)
Unknown
Class 3 (mid-level)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Right-handed, long straights
Likes
Left-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, long straights
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
1 Oct
2nd
Salisbury
1m6f – 2m · Soft · 10 runners
2 May
DNF
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 13 runners
13 Mar
13th
Cheltenham
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 20 runners
21 Feb
2nd
Kempton Park
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft · 6 runners
24 Jan
2nd
Cheltenham
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 10 runners
13 Dec
3rd
Cheltenham
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft · 10 runners
15 Nov
🏆 Won
Cheltenham
Long Distance (2m+) · Heavy · 12 runners
19 Oct
🏆 Won
Kempton Park
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 5 runners
13 Jul
🏆 Won
Stratford-on-Avon
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Firm · 8 runners
7 Jun
🏆 Won
Hexham
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Soft · 5 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Kempton Park Galloping |
4 |
2 wins, 1 second, 1 third |
21 Feb |
50% |
| Cheltenham Galloping |
4 |
1 win, 1 second, 1 third, 1 other |
13 Mar |
25% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
2 |
2 thirds |
27 Nov |
0% |
| Stratford-on-Avon Sharp |
1 |
1 win |
13 Jul |
100% |
| Hexham Undulating |
1 |
1 win |
7 Jun |
100% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
4 Feb |
0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
15 Mar |
0% |
| chelmsford |
1 |
1 second |
16 Jan |
0% |
| Salisbury Undulating |
1 |
1 second |
1 Oct |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
2 May |
0% |