Peaky Boy

Two of those Cheltenham wins came in Class 2 races — one of the top tiers in British racing — both in the same calendar year. Winning at that level once is an achievement; winning it twice at the same track suggests a horse that genuinely knows its way around. His first career win came at Newcastle in November 2022, which pointed the way toward what was to come, but it's the Cheltenham double in 2024 that really defines what Peaky Boy is.

The last six races tell a more complicated story. After a win at Cheltenham in November 2024, he's had a run of 12-12-10-3-3-6 — no wins, and a couple of performances that were well below his best. His trainer Jonjo O'Neill has been candid about why: the horse wasn't quite right in the spring, then suffered a setback in the autumn, and simply hasn't been himself. He's not been ready to run, and the results reflect that.

What's interesting, though, is how the team talk about him. The yard clearly believes there's a lot more to come, with plans to point him at three-mile races on decent ground when the time is right. O'Neill's 51 winners this season show a stable in strong form, which means when they say a horse has potential, it's worth listening. Peaky Boy is eight years old — not young — but his record at Cheltenham gives real reason to think his best days there might not be behind him. The setbacks have been frustrating, but the bones of a Cheltenham specialist are still very much in place.