Our Boy Stan

What makes the record even more striking is the shape of it. His first two runs produced a place and then nothing, but since then he has rattled off a win, another win, and a second — form that reads 2-1-1 in reverse and suggests a horse that has figured it all out very quickly. His first win came at Kempton Park in February 2025, and he followed that up with another at Ffos Las in November, which tells you he can handle different tracks and different conditions rather than being a one-trick pony who only fires at a specific venue.

Pauling himself noted before the Ffos Las win that Our Boy Stan might be the quickest horse in his yard, and that despite being a big, physical horse who needed time to develop, he had done absolutely nothing wrong in his first season. That kind of comment from a trainer who has sent out 89 winners this season — a yard clearly operating at full tilt — carries real weight. It is not the sort of thing you say about a horse you are merely hopeful about.

He raced just one day ago, so whatever comes next is very much live. With two wins from five races and that upward curve in his recent form, Our Boy Stan looks like a horse still well short of his ceiling.